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STORY  T°H^e  RIOT 


PUBLISHED  BY 


The  Citizens' 
Protective  League 


Price,    25    cents 


COPY  OF  AN  APPEAL  TO  THE  MAYOR. 


New  York,  September  12,  1900. 

TO  HIS  HONOR,  ROBERT  A.  VAN  WYCK, 

MAYOR,  NEW  YORK  CITY. 
Dear  Sir: 

Your  communication  of  the  7th  inst.  in  reply  to  my 
letter  received.  We  appreciate  the  consideration  shown 
and  interest  manifested,  but  earnestly  petition  your  Honor 
for  a  fair  and  impartial  investigation.  We  condemn  in 
unqualified  terms  lawlessness  among  our  people,  and  by  no 
means  condone  the  crime  of  Harris,  nor  his  associates ;  but 
this  crime,  as  black  as  it  may  be,  does  not  justify  the  police- 
men in  their  savage  and  indiscriminate  attack  upon  innocent 
and  helpless  people. 

We  ask  for  no  money  consideration,  and  our  counsel, 
Hon.  Frank  Moss,  has  been  so  advised.  We  are  not 
responsible  for  what  private  individuals  may  do — the  rights 
of  citizenship  we  value  above  money. 

We  ask  for  the  conviction,  and  removal  from  the  force 
of  those  officers  whom  we  are  able  to  prove  guilty. 

We  appeal  to  you,  sir,  as  chief  magistrate  of  this  city, 
to  give  this  matter  special  personal  attention. 

If  the  guilty  are  shielded  it  will  encourage  the  mob  to 
repeat  the  same  offense,  the  officers  to  commit  the  same 
deeds,  and  our  people  to  prepare  for  self-defense  in  spite  of 
law  or  gospel.  This  can  have  no  other  termination  than 
bloodshed  and  butchery. 

This,  I  believe,  may  all  be  avoided  by  a  course  of  sim- 
ple justice.  The  color  of  a  man's  skin  must  not  be  made 
the  index  of  his  character  or  ability.  From  the  many  ugly 
threatening  letters  I  have  received  I  feel  that  my  own  life  is 
not  safe,  but  I  am  unwilling  to  purchase  it  by  silence  at  the 
expense  of  my  unfortunate  race.  We  feel  keenly  our 
position,  and  again  appeal  to  you  for  common  justice. 

I  am,  dear  sir. 

Yours, 

W.  H.  BROOKS. 


PERSECUTION    OF    NEGROES 

BY 

Roughs  and  Policemen,   in  the   City 
of  New  York,   August,    1900. 


STATEMENT     AND     PROOFS    WRITTEN    AND    COM- 
PILED BY  FRANK  MOSS  AND  ISSUED  BY  THE 
CITIZENS'    PROTECTIVE    LEAGUE. 


STATEMENT  OF  THE  PERSECUTIOX. 

The  riots  and  persecutions  described  in  this  pamphlet  occurred 
mainly  in  the  20th  Police  Precinct,  which  is  under  the  command 
of  Acting  Captain  John  Cooney,  and  within  the  jurisdiction  of  In- 
spector Walter  L.  Thompson.  Chief  William  S.  Devery  resides 
in  the  precinct,  near  the  scene  of  the  disorder. 

The  district  has  a  large  colored  population,  and  mixed  with  it 
are  many  dissolute  and  lawless  white  persons. 

On  August  the  12th  last  a  Negro  named  Arthur  Harris  was 
with  his  wife  at  41st  Street  and  8th  Avenue.  He  says  that  he 
left  her  to  buy  a  cigar,  and  when  he  returned  he  found  her  in 
the  grasp  of  a  man  in  citizen^s  dress.  This  man  was  a  police 
officer,  named  Robert  J.  Thorpe,  who  had  arrested  her,  as  he 
claimed,  for  "soliciting."  Harris  says  that  he  did  not  know 
Thorpe  was  an  officer,  and  that  he  attempted  to  rescue  his  wife. 
The  policeman  struck  Harris  with  his  club,  and  Harris  retal- 
iated with  his  penknife,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound,  and  then  ran 
away. 

Thorpe  was  attached  to  the  20th  Precinct,  and  was  much  liked 
by  his  comrades.  Policemen  thronged  his  home,  and  his  funeral, 
on  August  16th,  was  attended  by  Chief  Devery,  Inspector  Thomp- 
son, and  other  officials. 

Harris,  the  murderer,  had  disappeared,  and  many  policemen 
who  were  interested  in  Thorpe  were  seized  with  a  desire  of  venge- 
ance on  Negroes  generally.   During  the  day  of  the  funeral  there 


2 

were  rumors  of  coraing  trouble,  and  those  colored  people  who  have 
illicit  dealings  with  the  police — keepers  of  gambling,  disorderly, 
and  badger  houses — seeing  the  signs  of  coming  trouble,  closed 
their  places  and  kept  off  the  streets.  Several  officers  told  inform- 
ants of  mine  that  they  were  going  to  punish  the  ISTegroes  that 
night.  There  are  numerous  gangs  of  rowdies  in  the  district  who 
are  hostile  to  Negroes  and  friendly  with  the  unofficial  powers 
that  are  now  potent  in  police  affairs.  There  was  an  understand- 
ing between  the  forces  that  night  that  resulted  in  the  holding  of 
the  streets  for  hours  by  crowds  of  roughs  who  raced  up  and  down 
Broadway,  7th  and  8th  Avenues,  and  the  side  streets  from  34th 
to  42nd  Streets  in  pursuit  of  Negroes,  and  were  not  attacked  by 
the  police  except  in  one  or  two  cases  where  they  invaded  Broad- 
way hotels  hunting  for  colored  men. 

The  unanimous  testimony  of  the  newspaper  reports  was  that 
the  mobs  could  have  been  broken  and  destroyed  immediately  and 
with  little  difficulty.  In  many  instances  of  brutality  by  the  mob 
policemen  stood  by  and  made  no  effort  to  protect  the  Negroes 
who  were  assailed.  They  ran  with  the  crowds  in  pursuit  of  their 
prey;  they  took  defenseless  men  who  ran  to  them  for  protection 
and  threw  them  to  the  rioters,  and  in  many  cases  they  beat  and 
clubbed  men  and  women  more  brutally  than  the  mob  did.  They 
were  absolutely  unrestrained  by  their  superior  officers.  It  was 
the  night  sticks  of  the  police  that  sent  a  stream  of  bleeding 
colored  men  to  the  hospital,  and  that  made  the  station  house  in 
West  37th  Street  look  like  a  field  hospital  in  the  midst  of  battle. 
Men  who  were  taken  to  the  station  house  by  officers  and  men  in 
the  station  house  were  beaten  by  policemen  without  mercy,  and 
their  cries  of  distress  made  sleep  impossible  for  those  who  lived 
in  the  rear  of  the  station  house. 

Colored  men  being  denied  official  protection,  many  of  them  ob- 
tained weapons,  and  if  they  were  found  armed,  or  if  revolvers 
were  found  in  their  houses,  then  official  brutality  was  redoubled. 

The  tumult  of  August  15th  was  repeated  on  a  smaller  scale  on 
the  night  of  the  16th,  but  public  attention  had  been  directed  to 
the  shameful  conduct  of  our  "guardians  of  the  peace,"  and  the 
precinct  swarmed  with  reporters  and  sightseers.  Then  the  dila- 
tory officials  speedily  quelled  the  riot  and  ended  the  punishment 
of  the  Negroes. 

In  the  courts  many  false  charges  were  made  by  poHecmon  ;  and 
although  some  Negroes  were  discharged  by  the  magistrates, 
others  were  convicted  and  punished  on  the  false  testimony  of 
their  accusers.    One  magistrate  commented  severely  on  the  com- 

4 


paratively  small  number  of  white  men  that  were  arraigned  be- 
fore him  for  rioting. 

Had  a  force  of  regular  soldiers  been  sent  to  quell  such  a  dis- 
turbance, and  had  it  failed  so  utterly  and  so  long  as  did  the  police, 
and  had  the  soldiers  abandoned  their  duty,  and  vied  with  the 
roughs  in  beating  the  men  whom  they  should  have  protected,  un- 
doubtedly some  guilty  privates  would  have  been  punished — ^but 
the  severest  penalty  would  have  fallen  on  their  incompetent  or 
derelict  commanders.  The  commanders  in  this  case  were  Acting 
Captain  Cooney,  Inspector  Thompson,  and  Chief  Devery. 

The  newspapers  told  of  the  shocking  outrage,  and  printed 
many  specific  cases  of  cruelty,  giving  the  addresses  of  the  victims 
and  the  circumstances  of  their  persecution.  By  this  and  other 
means  the  Police  Commissioners  and  the  Mayor  were  fully  ap- 
prised of  the  facts.  There  was  no  suspicion  of  politics  in  the 
universal  demand  that  went  up  for  a  prompt  and  efficient  inves- 
tigation and  for  the  severe  punishment  of  the  offenders.  This 
request  was  unheeded,  until  the  acting  Mayor  called  on  the  Police 
Commissioners  to  investigate  the  conduct  of  their  subordinates. 
The  Commissioners  delayed,  knowing  full  well  how  such  cases 
deteriorate  by  delay,  and  after  several  weeks  announced  that  they 
would  investigate. 

The  colored  people  of  the  city,  realizing  their  unexpected 
danger  as  a  race,  and  discovering  the  surprising  unwillingness  of 
the  city  authorities  to  punish  their  assailants  and  to  protect  them 
in  the  future,  formed  "The  Citizens'  Protective  League.^'  This 
society  and  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Crime  and  the  City 
Vigilance  League  communicated  with  the  Mayor  in  writing  and 
urged  him  to  hold  an  investigation  or  to  direct  the  Commissioner 
of  Accounts  to  hold  one  for  him.  His  answer  was  that  the  whole 
matter  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Board  of  Police.  A  number  of 
Negroes  who  had  been  injured  retained  Israel  Ludlow,  Esq., 
to  bring  suits  against  the  city  for  damages  inflicted  on  them  by 
the  mob.  He  filed  with  the  Police  Commissioners  the  affidavit  of 
William  J.  Elliott,  who  had  been  clubbed  in  the  station  house. 
The  Police  Board  began  its  "investigation"  by  calling  Elliott  and 
his  witnesses  on  the  7th  of  September.  The  examination  of  wit- 
nesses was  conducted  by  the  President  of  the  Board,  Bernard  J. 
York,  and,  with  the  approval  of  the  Board,  he  refused  to  give 
subpoenas  to  Mr.  Ludlow,  and  refused  to  allow  him  or  any  other 
lawyer  to  examine  or  cross-examine  any  witnesses,  or  to  suggest 
any  step  to  be  taken.  Elliott  and  all  other  colored  witnesses  were 
examined  by  the  President  as  hostile  parties,  and  their  testimony 


was  controverted  by  the  policemen  who  were  called  at  once  and 
were  carefully  nursed  and  led  by  him.  Glaring  discrepancies 
and  disagreements  in  their  testimony  were  passed  over  in  spite 
of  specific  protests  by  Mr.  Ludlow.  The  writer  appeared  on  be- 
half of  the  societies  that  had  memorialized  the  Mayor,  and  filed  a 
complaint  of  inefficiency  and  neglect  of  duty  against  the  Captain, 
the  Inspector,  and  the  Chief  of  Police,  and  announced  that  he 
had  much  testimony  to  offer  on  the  specifications,  but  insisted 
on  his  right  to  examine  his  own  witnesses  and  to  cross-examine 
the  police  witnesses.  These  rights  were  emphatically  denied,  and 
the  complaint  was  disdainfully  pigeonholed. 

The  Protective  League  separately  asked  the  Mayor  for  justice ; 
he  responded  that  the  whole  matter  was  with  the  Police  Board, 
and  he  made  the  same  response  to  Mr.  Ludlow,  who  complained 
to  him  of  the  farce  that  was  being  enacted  at  Police  Head- 
quarters. The  hearing  was  continued  several  days.  Witnesses 
were  examined  superficially  in  eight  cases  of  cruelty  by  police- 
men, and  were  controverted  by  double  the  number  of  policemen, 
and  it  was  suddenly  announced  that  the  hearings  were  closed. 
Claims  of  sixteen  Xegroes  against  the  city  were  then  on  file  in  the 
Comptroller's  office,  the  names  and  addresses  of  many  more  vic- 
tims had  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  and  the  writer  had  an- 
nounced that  he  had  in  his  possession  over  forty  affidavits  of  po- 
lice brutality.     The  "investigation"  was  a  palpable  sham. 

At  this  date  not  a  single  complaint  has  been  preferred  by  the 
Chief,  the  Inspector,  the  Captain,  or  the  Commissioners  against 
any  police  officer  for  brutality  or  neglect  of  duty  during  the  riots. 
On  September  12th  a  great  meeting  was  held  at  Carnegie  Hall 
to  protest  against  the  brutality  and  against  the  failure  of  the  city 
authorities  to  act,  and  to  take  measures  for  the  prevention  of  such 
outbreaks  in  the  future.  Fully  thirty-five  hundred  people  at- 
tended, and  listened  to  addresses  bv  Rev.  R.  S.  Mac  Arthur,  D.D., 
Rev.  D.  W.  Cook,  D.D.,  Rev.  C.  T.  Walker,  D.D.,  Rev.  W.  H. 
Brooks,  D.D.,  Rev.  Bishop  W.  B.  Derrick,  D.D.,  Miss  M.  R. 
Lyons,  Hon.'D.  M.  Webster. 

A  subscription  was  started,  and  measures  were  taken  to  make 
the  Citizens'  Protective  League  a  permanent  and  a  vital  institu- 
tion. 

The  League  and  its  representatives  are  using  every  possible 
lawful  measure  to  secure  justice  to  its  people,  and  to  vindicate 
their  right  to  live  in  peace.  They  are  having  a  difficult  task  to 
get  a  hearing.  Several  cases  have  been  brought  by  it  in  the  Mag- 
istrates' Court,  but  they  are  difficult  to  carry  in  the  face  of  a 


solid  and  lusty  swearing  lot  of  policemen,  and  they  cannot  show 
the  crime  in  its  ma^s,  and  cannot  reveal  the  responsibility  of  the 
higher  officials  for  the  outbreak  and  for  the  failure  to  discover 
and  punish  the  guilty  policemen  and  their  commanders. 

The  Mayor  has  abundant  authority  to  hear  the  matter,  but  he 
has  washed  his  hands  of  it,  and  the  Police  Board  has  not  hesi- 
tated to  write  another  page  of  its  damning  history.  There  is  no 
other  way  open  for  a  full  and  connected  presentation  of  the  case 
to  the  pubhc  except  by  legal  process  through  the  Mayor  and 
the  Commissioners.  A  Grand  Jury  investigation  was  had,  and 
resulted  in  no  indictment.  Such  an  investigation  is  necessarily 
held  behind  closed  doors,  and  the  sole  question  is  whether  there 
is  sufficient  evidence  to  warrant  the  indictment  of  a  specific 
individual  for  a  specific  act,  unrelated  to  other  acts,  and  with  a 
reasonable  probability  of  conviction. 

I  have  advised  the  Citizens'  Protective  League  of  the  great 
barriers  to  be  overcome  in  securing  the  conviction  of  even  a  pa- 
trolman, and  of  the  inadequacy  of  a  criminal  proceeding  in  an 
attempted  presentation  of  the  great  wrong  that  the  Xegroes  have 
suffered.  They  need  the  sympathy  and  support  of  the  good  peo- 
ple of  Xew  York  to  secure  a  vindication,  and  to  prevent  a  recur- 
rence of  the  outbreak.  Under  my  advice  the  appended  affidavits 
have  been  secured,  and  are  now  printed,  so  that  they  may  be  read 
and  considered  in  their  relation  to  each  other.  I  may  say  that 
with  hardly  an  exception  the  affiants  have  shown  themselves  to 
be  respectable,  hard-working  men  and  women.  The  dissolute 
Xegroes  who  are  so  often  seen  lounging  about  the  "Tenderloin" 
and  its  neighborhood  are  not  to  be  found  among  the  witnesses. 
They  are  the  friends  of  the  police,  contributing  very  largely  to 
their  comfort  and  happiness,  and  it  is  quite  clear  that  they  had 
their  warning  and  kept  out  of  the  way. 

With  this  simple  introduction,  I  present  the  affidavits,  confi- 
dent that  they  will  speak  for  themselves,  and  that  they  will  lead 
to  the  condemnation  of  the  high  official  criminals,  and  contribute 
to  the  overthrow  of  the  infernal  system  that  they  represent. 

Brutality  and  insolence  of  policemen  have  increased  greatly, 
and  the  Police  Commissioners  seldom,  if  ever,  convict  officers  for 
these  offenses.  Humble  citizens  of  all  races  to-day  are  in  more 
danger  from  policemen's  clubs  than  they  are  from  the  assaults  of 
criminals.  The  inaction  of  the  Commissioners  in  the  cases  of  the 
Negroes  is  entirely  consistent  with  their  general  conduct  in  all 
citizens'  complaints.  Frank  Moss. 

Dated  October  1,  1900. 


6 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

P.  A.  Johnson,  M.D.,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says:  I 
reside  at  203  West  33rd  Street,  and  am  engaged  in  the  active 
practice  of  my  profession  at  that  address.  On  Thursday  morning, 
August  16th,  1900,  about  ten  a.  m.^  I  heard  a  noise  in  the  street, 
and  going  to  the  window  I  saw  a  colored  man  trying  to  get  into 
one  of  the  flats  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  He  failed,  and 
went  east  to  the  corner  saloon,  kept  by  a  man  Gallagher,  and 
entered.  After  he  went  in  I  noticed  three  policemen  in  the  sa- 
loon. Almost  immediately  a  mob  came  down  Tth  Avenue.  At 
the  saloon  they  commenced  to  shout,  "Bring  him  out,  we'll  lynch 
him  V  Several  of  the  rioters  went  into  the  saloon,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  they  came  out  again  and  formed  in  a  semicircle,  evi- 
dently waiting  for  something.  The  police  officers  appeared  with 
the  colored  man,  clubbing  him  unmercifully.  They  then  shoved 
him  into  the  mob.  He  managed  to  get  through  them  and  ran 
down  the  street,  and  I  heard  him  shortly  shouting  for  mercy,  say- 
ing, "For  God^s  sake  don't  kill  me,  I  have  a  wife  and  children." 
Deponent  has  been  informed  that  two  of  the  officers  ran  down 
the  street  after  him  and  knocked  him  senseless. 

P.  A.  Johnson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  10th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (1G4),  li.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Stephen  Small,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  reside 
at  the  northwest  corner  of  7th  Avenue  and  34th  Street.  On 
Wednesday  evening,  August  15th,  1900,  I  went  to  the  home  of  a 
sick  brother  on  Lexington  Avenue,  and  started  then  to  go  to  my 
lodge  on  29th  Street  near  7th  Avenue,  and  had  reached  8th 
Avenue  and  41st  Street,  opposite  Driggs'  saloon,  when  two  officers 
jumped  on  the  car.  One  hit  me  on  the  head  with  his  club,  and 
the  other  struck  me  in  the  eye  with  his  club.  A  white  man  inter- 
fered, and  the  police  desisted.  I  stayed  on  the  car,  and  when  we 
had  gone  a  little  further  the  mob  boarded  it  and  attacked  me. 
The  car  had  quite  a  number  of  women  in  it,  who  began  to  scream, 
and  some  of  them  told  me  to  get  under  the  seat,  which  I  did,  and 
it  proceeded  down  the  avenue.  I  reached  the  neighborhood  of 
Hudson  Street  House  of  Eelief,  where  the  white  gentleman  who 
interfered  in  the  first  instance  took  me,  and  where  I  had  my  head 
bandaged.  I  could  not  get  home  that  evening,  and  I  remained 
in  a  cellar  in  30th  Street  between  6th  and  7th  Avenues.     The 


next  morning  I  started  to  get  home,  and  had  reached  the  corner 
of  32nd  Street  and  7th  Avenue,  when  I  was  stopped  by  an  ofiScer 
who  wanted  to  know  where  I  was  going,  and  what  weapon  I  had 
on  me.  I  told  him  I  had  nothing  on  me.  He  said,  "You  look 
as  if  yon  had  been  in  the  scrap.  They  ought  to  have  killed  you; 
get  out  of  here."  As  he  said  this  he  struck  me  across  the  back 
with  his  club,  and  I  yet  am  unable  to  lay  flat  on  my  back  without 
suffering  extreme  pain.  Deponent  further  states  that  he  was 
perfectly  sober  and  was  not  creating  any  disturbance,  and  that 
the  assault  by  the  police  oflicers  was  entirely  unjustified  and  an 
outrage.  his 

Stephen  x  Small. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  11th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Oscar  Slaughter,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  reside 
at  225  West  32nd  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900,  I 
boarded  an  8th  Avenue  car  at  32nd  Street,  starting  to  go  to  my 
sister's  in  West  62nd  Street.  I  had  got  as  far  as  36th  Street  and 
8th  Avenue,  when  a  mob  led  by  three  or  four  police  officers  sur- 
rounded the  car  and  jumped  on  it.  The  police  officers  imme- 
diately commenced  to  club  me.  One  of  the  rioters  shouted,  "Pull 
him  off  and  kill  him  !"  The  officers  pulled  me  off  of  the  car  and 
commenced  to  club  me.  They  hit  me  on  the  head  and  pulled  me 
to  the  street.  I  was  kicked  and  beaten  while  I  lay  there,  and 
after  the  mob  had  gone  and  I  recovered  somewhat  I  dragged  my- 
self to  42nd  Street  and  6th  Avenue,  and  from  there  I  went  io 
32nd  Street  between  6th  and  7th  Avenues.  On  my  way  there  I 
attempted  to  go  down  34th  Street,  but  a  white  man  met  me  and 
said,  "Don't  go  down  there,  you'll  get  killed."  I  then  tried  to  go 
down  33rd  Street,  but  a  white  gentleman  advised  me  not  to  go 
that  way,  as  I  would  be  killed,  and  said  that  even  if  he  went  down 
there  and  did  not  join  in  he  would  be  jumped  on.  I  then  went  to 
32nd  Street,  where  a  number  of  colored  men  had  taken  refuge  in 
a  hallway,  and  where  I  was  advised  to  stay  all  night.  I  stayed 
there  a  while  and  then  took  a  chance  in  getting  to  my  home  down 
the  block,  which  I  succeeded  in  doing.  Deponent  is  informed 
that  an  officer  went  into  the  aforesaid  hallway  after  deponent 
had  left,  and  clubbed  and  beat  a  man  who  lived  in  the  house,  and 
took  him  to  the  station  house.     Deponent  declares  that  he  was 


perfectly  sober,  and  was  creating  no  disturbance  whatever,  and 
that  the  said  assault  was  entirely  unjustified  and  an  outrage. 

Oscar  Slaughter. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  11th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


State  of  New  York,  City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

Joseph  Frasier,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  live  at 
331  West  37th  Street,  Xew  York  City.  On  August  15th,  at 
quarter  past  eleven  in  the  night,  I  was  on  my  way  to  work  on  an 
8th  Avenue  car  going  downtown.  A  crowd  rushed  towards  the 
car  and  yelled,  "Lynch  the  nigger  V'  A  policeman  who  jumped 
on  the  car  hit  me  on  the  head  with  his  club  and  knocked  out  a 
tooth  and  beat  me  on  the  arms,  back,  and  body  until  I  was  nearly 
senseless.  The  policeman  asked  me  whether  I  wanted  to  go  to 
the  station  or  to  the  hospital.  I  said  I  wanted  to  go  to  my  work, 
though  the  blood  was  running  over  my  face  so  that  I  could  hardly 
see.  A  passenger  helped  me  until  I  recovered  slightly,  and  helped 
me  on  another  car  and  into  a  drug  store,  where  I  received  aid.  The 
street  was  filled  with  a  rough  crowd,  patrol  wagon,  and  ambu- 
lance. The  people  cried  out  from  the  windows,  protesting 
against  the  beating,  and  called  out  "Shame  V'  I  was  laid  up  for 
weeks,  and  am  hardly  able  to  walk  now,  as  I  am  still  lame  and 
sore.  I  work  for  Davenport,  94  Park  Place,  and  it  was  my  duty 
to  get  to  the  stable  about  eleven  o'clock  to  go  to  N'ew  Jersey  for 
produce.  Joseph  Frasier. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  11th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Stephen  B.  Brague,  Notary  Public  (125),  N.  Y.  Coanty. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Adolphus  Cooks,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  reside 
at  No.  243  West  32nd  Street,  and  work  for  the  Anchor  Steam- 
ship Company,  foot  of  West  24th  Street,  as  a  longshoreman.  On 
Tuesday  morning,  August  14th,  1900, 1  went  to  work  for  the  said 
company,  worked  all  that  day,  all  that  niglit,  and  until  Wednes- 
day night  at  10  :30  p.  m. — 39^  consecutive  hours.  At  the  said 
hour  I  left  the  pier  at  the  foot  of  West  24th  Street,  and  walked 
east  on  24th  Street,  and  when  I  reached  the  northwest  corner  of 
8th  Avenue  and  24th  Street  a  white  gentleman  advised  me  not  to 
go  up  8th  Avenue,  as  there  was  a  riot  up  there  and  they  were 
fighting  "like  he  did  not  know  what."     I  continued  east  on  24th 


9 

Street  until  I  reached  the  northwest  corner  of  ?th  Avenue  and 
24th  Street,  when  I  met  another  white  man  who  advised  me  not 
to  go  up  7th  Avenue,  as  there  was  a  riot  in  progress,  and  that  they 
were  fighting  at  that  time  in  the  neighborhood  of  41st  Street  and 
37th  Street,  but,  thinking  that  I  could  get  home  in  32nd  Street 
before  the  riot  could  get  down  to  that  street,  I  started  uptown  on 
the  west  side  of  7th  Avenue,  and  had  reached  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  7th  Avenue  and  28th  Street,  when  I  saw  three  officers  com- 
ing down  7th  Avenue.  In  the  meantime  three  other  colored  men, 
whom  I  did  not  know,  had  caught  up  with  me,  and  were  walking 
behind  me.  I  had  gone  about  one  hundred  feet  north  of  the 
aforesaid  corner  when  I  saw  the  three  officers  break  into  a  run  in 
our  direction.  I  was  grabbed  by  one  of  them,  while  the  other 
two  chased  the  three  men  who  had  come  behind  us  and  overtook 
them  and  clubbed  them;  the  officer  who  had  me  immediately,, 
without  saying  a  word,  struck  me  on  the  body  with  his  club ;  then 
between  the  blows  he  said,  "Get  out  of  here,  you  black  son  of  a 

b 1"     One  of  the  blows  he  aimed  at  my  head,  but  I  threw  up 

my  arm  and  received  the  blow  on  it.  It  was  such  a  severe  blow 
that  I  was  lame  in  it  for  quite  some  days.  I  escaped  from  him 
as  soon  as  I  could,  and  ran  to  28th  Street,  and  down  28th  Street 
to  No.  211.  I  ran  into  the  hallway  and  out  into  the  back  yard, 
where  I  stayed  all  night  in  fear  of  my  life.  The  officer  followed 
me,  and  when  I  ran  into  the  hallway  he  clubbed  the  colored  peo- 
ple who  were  on  the  front  stoop,  and  drove  them  into  the  house. 
During  the  heavy  rainstorm  "Wednesday  night  and  early  Thurs- 
day morning  I  took  refuge  in  a  small  place  that  led  into  the  cellar 
of  the  said  house.  Thursday  morning  about  six  o'clock  I  ven- 
tured out  and  went  towards  the  dock  at  the  foot  of  West  24th 
Street,  where  I  intended  to  go  to  work  again,  and  had  reached  8th 
Avenue  between  25th  and  26th  Streets,  vrhen  I  saw  two  police 
officers  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street,  one  of  whom  started  to 
run  towards  me,  but  his  companion  stopped  him,  and  drew  him 
back.  Deponent  states  further  that  if  he  had  not  been  inter- 
fered with  and  clubbed  by  the  police  officer  he  could  have  reached 
his  home  in  safety,  and  that  he  saw  no  signs  of  a  disturbance, 
such  as  a  large  crowd  of  people,  as  far  as  he  could  see  up  the 
avenue;  that  deponent  was  watching  for  such  signs  by  reason  of 
his  having  been  warned  twice.  Deponent  also  declares  that  he 
can  identify  the  officer  who  clubbed  him;  that  he  knows  him  by 
sight,  and  that,  about  a  month  before  the  said  clubbing,  the 
same  officer  had  come  to  him  at  his  home,  where  he  lived  at  that 
time,  in  AYest  28th  Street,  and  had  told  him  that  the  roundsman 


10 

had  got  him,  and  that  he  had  given  him  as  an  excuse  that  he  was 
at  the  house  where  deponent  then  lived  and  was  quelling  a  dis- 
turbance there,  and  asked  deponent  to  verify  that  statement  if 
the  roundsman  asked  him.  Deponent  promised  so  to  do,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  nothing  of  the  kind  had  occurred 
there,  and  promised  to  do  so  simply  to  get  the  officer  out  of 
trouble.  That  the  officer^s  first  name  is  "Joe,'^  and  that  he  is 
attached  to  the  20th  Precinct.  Deponent  further  declares  that 
he  was  perfectly  sober,  and  that  the  assault  by  the  officer  was  un- 
warranted and  an  outrage  upon  a  peaceable  citizen. 

his 
Adolphus  X  Cooks. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jk.,  Notary  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Eugene  Porter,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  reside  at 
202  West  49th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  nine  and  ten  p.  m.^  I  was  walking  uptown  on 
the  west  side  of  7th  Avenue,  on  my  way  home.  Everything  about 
the  neighborhood  was  quiet.  There  were  no  signs  of  a  disturb- 
ance, and  I  had  not  heard  of  any  trouble  between  the  colored 
people  and  the  white  folks.  I  had  reached  a  point  about  one 
hundred  feet  north  of  37th  Street  on  7th  Avenue,  when  I  met  a 
group  of  policemen,  about  six  or  eight  in  number.     One  of  them 

said  to  me,  *^hat  are  you  doing  here,  you  black  son  of  a  b ?'' 

and  without  waiting  for  an  answer  struck  me  over  the  head  with 
his  club,  felling  me  to  the  sidewalk,  and  continued  to  strike  me 
about  the  body.  I  struggled  to  my  feet,  and  implored  the  officers 
to  spare  my  life,  but  they  continued  to  club  me  and  left  me  un- 
conscious on  the  sidewalk.  When  I  came  to  I  arose  to  my  feet 
and  crawled  home.  After  I  reached  home  I  got  my  young  son  to 
accompany  me  to  the  New  York  Hospital,  where  my  wounds  were 
dressed  by  Dr.  Kenyon,  of  the  Hospital  Staff,  who  put  fourteen 
stitches  in  my  head.  Deponent  states  further  that  he  is  troubled 
to  this  day  with  his  head,  as  a  result  of  the  injuries  received  at 
the  hands  of  the  police,  and  he  fears  that  it  may  yet  seriously  in- 
terfere with  his  following  his  business.  Deponent  states  further 
that  he  is  engaged  in  the  business  of  horse  and  dog  clipping,  and 
that  he  can  refer  to  the  following-named  persons  for  whom  he 
has  done  work  at  various  times :  E.  S.  Odell,  proprietor  of  the 


11 

Saratoga  Stables,  690  Madison  Avenue,  who  has  known  him  from 
infancy.  Dr.  H.  D.  Gill,  Veterinary  Surgeon,  57th  Street  and 
2nd  Avenue.  G.  W.  Lynch,  Morton  Boarding  Stables,  Morton 
and  Washington  Streets.  Joseph  Hartshorn,  168  East  68th 
Street.  Eugene  Poetek. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond^  Jr.^  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Eichard  C.  Creech,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he 
resides  at  No.  137  West  53rd  Street.  That  on  Wednesday  morn- 
ing, August  15th,  1900,  he  had  been  to  visit  a  friend  at  No.  312 
West  45th  Street,  and  left  there  at  about  10  :45  p.  M.  and  walked 
to  8th  Avenue,  and  had  reached  the  corner  of  8th  Avenue  and 
45th  Street,  when  he  was  set  upon  by  a  gang  of  rioters,  and  as- 
saulted by  them.  That  he  shouted  "Police  \"  and  seeing  two  of- 
ficers on  the  east  side  of  the  avenue,  corner  of  45th  Street,  he  ran 
towards  them  when  he  saw  them  coming  towards  him  and 
slackened  his  pace,  thinking  that  they  were  coming  to  his  assist- 
ance. When  they  came  up  to  him,  without  saying  a  word,  they 
commenced  clubbing  him,  and  knocked  him  unconscious  on  the 
sidewalk.  He  lay  there  unconscious  for  some  time,  he  does  not 
know  exactly  how  long,  but  when  he  came  to  he  found  one  of  the 
policeman  standing  over  him,  and  when  he  scrambled  to  his  feet 

the  policeman  said,  "Well,  you  black  son  of  a  b ,  I  guess  you 

will  be  good  now,  won't  you  ?  Get  out  of  here  as  quick  as  you 
can !"  He  then  went  towards  Broadway,  and  on  Broadway  be- 
tween 45th  and  46th  Streets  engaged  a  cab  to  take  him  home,  and 
when  he  arrived  home  found  that  his  pocketbook,  containing 
thirty-six  dollars  in  money  and  a  pawnticket  for  a  watch,  was 
gone.  He  also  lost  his  hat  and  an  umbrella.  He  sent  for  his 
physician.  Dr.  Robert  L.  Cooper,  156  West  53rd  Street,  who  took 
three  stitches  in  his  scalp  and  dressed  other  wounds  on  his  arm 
and  hand,  the  result  of  the  clubbing. 

Richard  C.  Creech. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  1st  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

Duncan  James,  of  No.  238  West  40th  Street,  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  84  and  86  Greene  Street,  care  of  G.  Blum  &  Brother, 


12 

being  duly  sworn,  says :  On  Wednesday,  August  loth,  I  left  the 
store  and  went  to  my  tutor  at  West  124th  Street.  I  left  there  at 
ten  p.  M.,  and  when  I  reached  43rd  Street  and  Sth  Avenue  three 
men  jumped  on  the  car  and  struck  me  in  the  face.  Passengers 
advised  me  not  to  get  off  at  40th  Street.  When  I  arrived  at  34th 
Street  men  saw  me  on  the  car,  and  when  it  reached  33rd  Street 
the  car  stopped  suddenly  and  everybody  jumped  off.  The  car 
was  surrounded  by  a  mob.  I  had  no  weapon  or  protection  but  a 
cane.  I  kept  them  off  the  best  I  could.  About  twelve  officers 
came  and  took  me  from  the  mob.  They  took  me  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  from  Sth  Avenue  in  33rd  Street  West,  and  as 
they  turned  me  loose  the  officers  pounded  me  severely  with  clubs 
over  my  head,  arms,  and  shoulders,  telling  me  to  run.  I  had 
then  lost  my  hat,  cane,  and  books.  I  went  back  to  my  teacher's 
house  and  stayed  all  night.  I  was  the  only  negro  man  there. 
In  West  33rd  Street  a  man  gave  me  a  hat.  I  could  find  him. 
I  begged  the  officers  to  lock  me  up  for  protection,  and  they  would 
not.     Dr.  Swinburne  treated  me.  Duxcax  James. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Feaxk  Moss,  Xotary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  Yorlc,  ss.  : 

Mack  Thomas,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  238  West  40th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
loth,  1900, 1  attended  the  St.  Paul  Baptist  Church  in  West  43rd 
Street,  and  at  about  ten  p.  M.  left  for  home.  Knowing  that 
the  rioters  were  at  work,  I  decided,  instead  of  taking  my 
usual  route  home,  to  go  to  9th  Avenue  and  transfer  to  34th 
Street,  to  7th  Avenue,  and  thence  back  to  40th  Street,  thinking 
by  that  means  to  be  able  to  avoid  the  rioters  and  reach  home 
in  safety.  I  boarded  a  9th  Avenue  car  at  43rd  Street  and  trans- 
ferred at  9th  Avenue,  and  had  reached  the  corner  of  Sth  Avenue 
and  34th  Street,  when  I  saw  a  mob  on  the  corner,  and  heard 
them  shout,  "There's  two  on  the  car;  go  after  them,  get  them; 
lynch  the  niggers!"  I  stayed  on  the  car  until  the  mob  boarded 
the  car,  when  I  jumped  off  and  ran  east  on  34th  Street  pursued 
by  the  mob,  several  members  of  which  struck  me  with  their  fists, 
but  with  no  serious  result.  I  had  got  so  far  as  tlie  middle  of  the 
block  when  I  met  four  or  five  officers,  one  of  whom  stepped  in 
front  of  me  and  struck  me  a  blow  with  his  club  on  the  head, 
cutting  it  open.  When  lie  did  so  he  said,  "Who  hit  you?"  I 
said  nothing;  tlien  he  said.  Get  on  the  car,  you  black  son  of  a 


13 

b ,  and  get  home  out  of  here!^^  I  got  on  the  car  and  reached 

home  without  any  further  interference.  Deponent  declares  it  to 
be  his  belief  that  if  he  had  not  been  stopped  by  the  police,  and 
struck  by  them,  he  would  have  reached  his  home  without  any 
serious  injury;  not  mentioning  the  fact  that  the  police  made  no 
attempt  whatever  to  interfere  with  the  mob.  Deponent  further 
declares  that  he  would  prefer  to  have  taken  his  chances  with  the 
mob  than  to  have  met  the  said  police  officers.  Deponent  fur- 
ther declares  that  he  was  perfectly  sober,  was  proceeding  quietly 
on  his  way  home,  and  was  taking  extraordinary  measures  to 
reach  his  home  in  safety  and  without  violence. 

Mack  THo:\rAS. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jk.,  Xotary  Public  (161),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  YorJc,  ss.  : 

Miss  Belle  Johnson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  275  West  39th  Street.  On  Wednesday  evening, 
August  15th,  1900,  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock,  I  heard  a 
disturbance  in  the  street,  and  going  to  my  ^\indow  on  8th 
Avenue  I  saw  a  crowd  of  people  on  the  sidewalk,  and  saw  them 
rush  toward  a  Xegro  boy  who  was  standing  on  the  corner  (north- 
east corner  39tli  Street  and  8th  Avenue)  and  beat  him.  He 
rushed  into  a  delicatessen  store  on  8th  Avenue,  but  was  thrust 
out  by  the  proprietor.  When  he  reached  the  sidewalk  two  of- 
ficers grabbed  him  and  clubbed  him  and  then  pushed  him  into 
the  crowd,  saying  with  an  oath,  "Eun  now,  for  your  life!''  He 
then  ran  to  39th  Street  and  east  on  39th  Street  with  fully  one 
hundred  people  after  him.  Right  after  this  occurrence  a  col- 
ored man  came  along,  and  after  being  attacked  by  the  mob  was 
knocked  over  towards  four  police  officers  who  were  standing 
on  the  corner,  one  of  whom  was  Officer  6312.  All  four  of  the 
officers  then  rushed  for  this  man  and  clubbed  him  unmercifully 
about  the  head  and  body.  I  could  not  stand  the  sight  any  long- 
er and  shouted  to  the  officers  that  it  was  a  shame  when  police 
officers,  who  were  supposed  to  be  protecting  peaceable  citizens, 
assaulted  them  in  such  a  brutal  manner.  About  this  time 
they  ceased  clubbing  the  man  and  thrust  him  out  into  the 
crowd  of  rioters.  This  sort  of  thing  continued  during  the  entire 
night,  and  until  the  next  day,  as  at  nine  a.  m.,  when  I  went  out 
on  an  errand,  I  saw  a  colored  man,  who  was  carrying  a  small 
sign,  beaten  by  a  crowd  of  roughs.    I  saw  a  number  of  colored 


14 


persons  struck  who  were  riding  on  the  cars,  and  at  least  six 
colored  men  clubbed  by  the  police  during  this  time. 

Belle  Johnson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  YorTcj  ss. : 

Mrs.  Fannie  Lewis,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

She  has  read  the  foregoing  affidavit  of  Miss  Belle  Johnson, 
and  that  she  knows  of  her  own  knowledge  that  the  facts  therein 
stated  are  true. 

Fannie  Lewis. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

Chester  Smith,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  320  West  37th  Street.     I  am  employed  in 
Flanner/s  drug  store,  at  No.  103  West  42nd  Street,  and  have 
been  so  employed  for  the  last  ten  months.     On  August  15th, 
1900,  at  about  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  while  going  to  my  home,  walk- 
ing on  the  west  side  of  8th  Avenue  between  38th  and  39th 
Streets,  I  saw  a  crowd  of  people,  composed  mostly  of  police 
officers  and  children.     Some  one  in  the  crowd  said,  '^There  is 
a  nigger!''  pointing  at  me.     One  of  the  policemen  ran  towards 
me,  and  seeing  that  I  was  in  physical  danger  I  ran  away  from 
the  place,  going  north  to  39th  Street  on  8th  Avenue.     Some- 
body threw  a  brick  at  me,  which  struck  me  in  the  back,  and 
then  one  of  the  policemen  came  up  to  me  and  struck  me  in  the 
left  eye  with  his  club.     My  eye  and  my  forehead  are  still  lac- 
crated  and  discolored.   I  then  ran  into  the  saloon  at  the  south- 
east comer  of  39th  Street  and  8th  Avenue.     One  of  the  police- 
men ran  in  after  me,  and  told  me  to  go  outside  and  run  towards 
Broadway;  that  the  mob  had  dispersed.     I  started  toward  the 
door,  and  as  I  reached  it  I  saw  that  they  were  still  waiting  out- 
side. I  said  to  the  officer  as  I  started  back  into  the  saloon,  "No, 
sir,  I  can't  go  out  there;  they'll  kill  me."   The  policeman  then 
lifted  me  from  the  ground  and  threw  me  through  the  swinging 
door  into  the  street.     The  glass  in  the  door  was  broken,  and  I 
fell  on  my  hands  and  knees.    The  policemen  and  the  mob  then 
began  beating  me,  the  policemen  beating  me  with  their  clubs. 


15 

They  did  not  disperse  the  crowd  or  protect  me  from  it.  I  then 
started  to  run  towards  Broadway;  another  policeman  ran  after 
me  and  struck  me  in  the  back  with  his  club.  I  staggered,  made 
one  or  two  jumps,  and  fell  in  front  of  No.  236  West  39th  Street. 
The  lady  of  the  house,  a  white  woman,  came  out,  and  I  was 
taken  into  the  house  by  some  one,  I  don^t  know  whom.  Two 
or  three  days  after  she  told  me  that  the  oflS.cers  soon  left  the 
house,  but  that  the  mob  tried  to  break  in,  and  that  she  told 
them  that  if  they  would  not  leave  she  would  kill  them.  The 
lady  rang  for  a  messenger  boy  and  sent  word  to  my  employer 
to  call.  He  came  and  brought  some  bandages,  etc.,  and  ban- 
daged my  head.  He  then  called  two  police  ofl&cers  and  asked 
them  to  take  me  to  the  station  house.  They  refused.  He  in- 
sisted, and  they  finally  yielded  and  took  me  to  the  station  house. 
I  was  treated  there  by  a  police  surgeon.  My  employer  remained 
with  me  until  three  o'clock  the  next  morning.  I  did  not  work 
for  three  days  after  this.  I  saw  one  man  treated  very  harshly 
at  the  station  house,  being  clubbed  by  pohce  officers,  and  I  be- 
lieve he  would  have  been  treated  still  worse  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  presence  of  reporters.  I  did  nothing  whatever  to  justify 
this  brutal  treatment  on  the  part  of  the  police  officers.  I  be- 
lieve that  had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  my  employer  I 
would  have  been  beaten  still  more.  There  were  over  twenty-five 
policemen  in  the  crowd.  I  was  unconscious  part  of  the  time. 
I  have  never  been  arrested  in  my  life. 

Chestee  Smith. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Je.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


On  September  13th,  1900,  I  visited  the  premises  No.  236 
West  39th  Street  and  found  that  the  occupant  thereof  was  the 
woman  who  rescued  Chester  Smith  from  the  hands  of  the  mob, 
and  that  her  name  is  Mrs.  Davenport.  She  stated  that  she  did 
not  want  to  make  an  affidavit  or  statement  of  the  occurrence, 
but  volunteered  the  information  that  she  had  sheltered  two  or 
three  Negroes  during  the  night  of  August  loth  and  the  morning 
of  the  16th,  also  that  several  poUce  officers  who  attempted  to 
get  into  her  house,  at  the  time  that  she  rescued  the  said  Smith, 
acted  and  spoke  in  an  insulting  manner,  one  of  them  saying, 
"What  kind  of  a  woman  are  you,  to  be  harboring  niggers  ?'' 

Geoege  p.  Hammond,  Je. 


16 

Ciiy  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Harry  L.  Craig,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  Xo.  226  West  28th  Street.  I  am  employed  as  a 
hall  boy  at  the  apartment  houses  Xos.  102  and  104  East  26th 
Street.  On  August  15th,  1900,  I  left  the  apartment  house  a 
little  after  twelve  o'clock,  that  being  the  time  I  usually  go  home. 
I  walked  on  26th  Street  to  6th  Avenue,  then  turned  into  6th 
Avenue  and  walked  to  27th  Street;  I  then  walked  on  2Tth  Street 
to  8th  Avenue,  turned  into  8th  Avenue,  and  went  into  the  sa- 
loon at  8th  Avenue  and  28th  Street,  southwest  corner,  where  I 
had  a  drink,  and  left  about  12:20,  going  home  on  28th  Street. 
As  I  neared  M.  Groh's  Son's  Brewery  on  that  block  some  one 
hit  me  on  the  head  with  a  club;  I  turned  around  and  saw  three 
policemen  in  uniform,  and  behind  them  was  a  mob  of  at  least 
fifty  men.  The  street  was  very  dark.  I  started  to  run  home, 
but  one  of  the  officers  tripped  me,  and  I  fell.  I  was  then  clubbed 
by  the  police  and  the  mob  into  unconsciousness.  When  I  re- 
covered I  found  that  the  police  and  the  mob  had  left.  I 
picked  up  my  hat  and  got  up,  and  started  to  walk  to  our  house, 
which  was  only  a  few  feet  away,  but  I  staggered  and  fell  several 
times.  When  I  reached  home  the  lady  I  live  with,  Mrs.  Wisham, 
washed  my  face  with  witch-hazel;  my  jaw  was  so  sore  that  I 
could  hardly  open  my  mouth.  For  a  few  days  after  this  I  felt 
sore  all  over  my  body,  from  the  effects  of  this  clubbing.  I  was 
clubbed  by  three  officers.  The  officers  led  the  crowd,  and  did 
not  interfere  when  others  were  beating  me.  They  made  no 
attempt  to  disperse  the  crowd.  1  did  nothing  whatever  to  jus- 
tify this  brutal  assault  upon  me  i^y  the  police.  I  was  never 
arrested  in  my  life.  I  was  not  in  the  neighborhood  while  the 
riots  were  going  on  in  the  early  part  of  the  evening.  The 
police  did  not  give  any  reason  for  acting  as  they  did,  and  when 
I  fell  unconscious  they  left  me  alone  in  the  dark  street. 

Harry  S.  Craig. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  13th  day  of  September,  1900.  * 

Frank  Moss,  Xotary  Public,  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Jolin  L.  Newman,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  No;  351. West  37tli  Street,  in  the  rear  house.     On 

August  15th,  1900,  I  went  to  the  restaurant  which  is  in  the 

front  building,  for  supper.     This  was  about  10:30  p.  m.    After 

I  had  been  there  a  few  minutes  some  one  told  me  that  the  mob 


17 

was  coming.  I  had  seen  them  beat  colored  people  during  the 
evening,  without  any  cause,  so  I  walked  out  of  the  restaurant 
into  m}^  apartments,  which  are  in  the  rear,  only  a  few  steps 
away;  I  live  in  the  basement  floor.  I  did  this  so  as  to  avoid  any 
trouble.  As  I  reached  the  front  door  and  walked  in  I  closed  it, 
and  proceeded  to  go  into  my  apartments.  Pour  officers  imme- 
diately came,  and  one  of  them  said,  "Stop!"  and  kicked  open 
the  door.    Then  one  of  them  grabbed  me  and  said,  ''Here  is  a 

d d  nigger;  kill  him!"     The   four  officers  then  beat  me 

with  their  clubs  until  I  became  unconscious.  They  then  car- 
ried me  to  the  station  house.  I  was  unconscious  during  all 
this  time,  but  my  friends  tell  me  that  the  police  were  beating 
me  all  the  way  to  the  station  house.  It  is  located  one  block 
west  from  where  I  live.  At  the  station  house  I  recovered  my 
consciousness.  I  was  arraigned  before  the  sergeant,  and  the 
officer  who  struck  me  first  made  the  complaint  against  me. 
At  the  sergeant's  desk  I  felt  very  weak,  bleeding  from  my  head 
and  eye,  and  I  held  on  to  the  railing  for  support.  One  of  the 
officers  struck  me  in  the  ribs  with  a  night  stick,  and  said, 
*^God  d — n  you,  stand  up  there!"  I  fell  forward  on  the  ser- 
geant's desk,  and  I  said,  'Tor  God's  sake,  take  a  gun  and  blow 
out  my  brains!  If  you  have  got  to  take  a  life,  take  mine,  and 
don't  murder  me  this  way!"  The  sergeant  then  said  very  gruffly 
to  the  officer,  "Take  him  away!"  While  all  this  was  going  on 
Chief  of  Police  Devery  was  in  the  station  house  standing  about 
ten  feet  away,  talking  to  somebody  whom  I  did  not  know.  He 
saw  all  this,  but  did  not  interfere,  conversing  with  the  man  all 
the  time,  as  if  nothing  unusual  was  going  on.  I  have  known 
Chief  Devery  for  three  or  four  years,  and  have  spoken  with  him 
in  a  friendly  way  many  times.  When  I  was  brought  into  the 
muster  room,  in  the  rear  of  the  station  house,  I  saw  several 
colored  people  being  treated  for  their  wounds.  I  was  bleeding 
from  my  head  and  eye,  and  could  not  see  well,  and  I  sat  down 
in  the  wrong  chair.  Two  policemen  then  came  over  to  me, 
pulled  me  out  of  the  chair,  and  were  raising  their  clubs  to  strike 
me  when  some  one  said,  "Don't  hit  this  man  any  more,"  and 
they  obeyed.  My  wounds  were  then  dressed,  and  I  was  taken 
to  a  cell.  About  twelve  o'clock,  when  the  officer  who  was  mak- 
ing the  prison  rounds  came  to  my  cell,  I  asked  him  for  permis- 
sion to  see  the  sergeant.  He  asked  why,  and  I  told  liim  that  my 
house  was  unlocked,  and  that  I  wished  he  would  send  an  officer 
to  lock  it.  He  said  he  would  speak  to  the  sergeant  about  it. 
In  a  few  minutes  he  returned  and  said,  "The  sergeant  said. 


18 

*^D — n  him/  and  that  '  he  had  no  business  with  the  house/  ^'  and 
he  did  not  send  anyone  to  lock  it  and  protect  my  property. 
While  1  was  in  the  station  house  I  saw  a  colored  man,  John 
Haines,  struck  by  several  officers  with  their  clubs.  He  was 
naked,  only  wearing  a  little  undershirt.  The  officers  were  strik- 
ing all  the  colored  men  in  the  station  house,  and  without  any 
interference.  In  court,  the  next  morning,  I  was  arraigned  be- 
fore Judge  Cornell.  The  officer  swore  that  I  was  causing  a  riot 
in  the  street.  I  denied  this.  I  did  not  have  any  witnesses  in 
court,  because  I  did  not  have  any  opportunity  to  produce  them. 
The  Judge  did  not  ask  me  whether  I  wanted  an  examination 
or  not,  and  expressed  his  doubts  as  to  my  guilt,  and  said  the 
case  was  "very  curious."  But  the  officers  were  persistent  in 
their  false  statements,  aforesaid,  and  the  magistrate  put  me 
under  $100  bonds  to  keep  the  peace.  !N"ot  being  able  to  furnish 
this,  I  was  sent  to  the  Penitentiary,  where  I  was  for  thirty  days. 
I  was  treated  at  the  Penitentiary  by  Dr.  Thomas  Higgins,  who 
told  me  that  my  head  would  never  be  right  as  long  as  I  lived. 
I  have  been  sick  ever  since.  Dr.  Higgins  told  me  that  he  would 
testify  for  me  in  any  proceeding  which  I  might  institute.  I  am 
employed  by  the  Metropolitan  Street  Railway  Company  as  a 
rockman,  but  am  unable  to  work  at  present.  I  have  lived  in  New 
York  City  for  over  forty-three  years,  and  have  never  been 
arrested  before  in  my  life.  I  did  not  participate  in  the  riots, 
was  not  on  the  street,  and  did  nothing  whatever  to  justify  this 
conduct  on  the  part  of  the  police.  I  can  recognize  the  officer 
who  made  the  charge  against  me;  he  was  the  first  to  strike  me. 

John  L.  Newmax. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  19th  day  of  September,  1900. 

John  F.  Maccolgan,  Notary  Public  (4),  N.  Y.  County. 
(The  officer  in  the  case  was  Holland.) 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Martha  A.  Brown,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  351  West  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  about  10:15  p.  m.,  Avhile  on  my  way  upstairs  I  saw 
John  Newman,  who  lives  in  the  rear  house  at  the  above  number, 
come  in  the  front  door  and  close  it;  he  had  almost  reached  the 
rear  of  the  hall  when  the  front  door  was  o})ened  by  a  policeman 
who  had  his  club  raised,  and  who  ran  up  to  the  said  Newman, 
struck  him  over  the  head  with  his  club,  felling  him  to  the 
floor;  ho  then   dragged   Newman   to  the  street,  clubbing  him 


19 

meanwhile,  and  at  the  front  door  he  was  joined  by  four  other 
officers,  who  assisted  him  to  drag  Newman  out  into  the  street, 
where  they  threw  him  into  the  midst  of  the  mob  which  had 
congregated  outside,  and  some  of  whom  jumped  on  Newman, 
stamping  on  his  stomach  with  their  feet.  Newman  was  then 
again  taken  by  the  officers  and  dragged  to  the  station  house  on 
the  next  block.  Deponent  states  further  that  Newman  did  not 
appear  to  be  trying  to  get  away  from  anyone,  when  he  entered 
the  front  door,  and  further  when  he  was  struck  first  he  was 
struck  from  behind. 

Martha  A.  Brown. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  24th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York^  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Betty  Green,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  No.  353  West  37th  Street,  Manhattan  Borough, 
New  York  City.  On  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900,  about 
eleven  p.  m.,  I  saw  John  Newman  coming  out  of  the  restaurant 
next  door.  No.  351,  and  spoke  a  few  words  to  him,  and  saw  him 
go  into  the  hall  door  of  the  house  in  the  rear  of  which  he  lived. 
Almost  immediately  I  saw  two  officers  in  uniform,  and  about 
three  others  in  citizens'  clothes.  The  two  in  uniform  ran  into 
the  hallway  after  the  said  John  Newman,  some  of  the  officers 

saying,  ^'Get  the  black  son  of  a  b ,  and  kill  him!"    Shortly 

afterward  I  saw  the  two  men  in  uniform  drag  Newman  out 
onto  the  stoop,  clubbing  him  meanwhile.  He  sank  to  the  stoop 
and  lay  there  for  some  time.  While  he  lay  there  a  patrol  wagon 
went  by,  and  the  officers  tried  to  get  it  to  stop;  but  it  went  on. 
They  then  took  Newman  and  led  him  on  down  towards  the 
station  house.  All  the  way  to  9th  Avenue  every  officer  they 
met  took  a  crack  at  him.  Deponent  states  that  Newman  was 
perfectly  sober,  and  had  done  nothing  from  the  time  that  he  left 
the  restaurant  till  the  officers  ran  after  him  into  the  hallway. 
She  saw  him  make  no  resistance  after  the  officers  got  him  and 
clubbed  him. 

Betty  Green. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  27th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


20 

City  and  County  of  Xew  York,  ss.: 

Miss  Albertha  L.  Clark,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  No.  351  West  STth  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
loth.,  1900,  between  eleven  and  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  while  looking 
out  of  the  front  window  of  my  home,  I  saw  an  officer  strike  a 
colored  man  over  the  head  with  his  club,  and  the  man  ran  down 
towards  my  home,  in  front  of  which  another  officer  hit  him 
over  the  head  with  his  club,  and  still  another  officer  kicked  him; 
then  two  officers  took  him  to  the  station  house.  While  this  was 
going  on  I  heard  a  noise  in  the  liall,  and  in  a  few  minutes  I 
saw  a  colored  man  dragged  from  the  hallway  of  my  home, 
whom  I  recognized  as  John  Xewman,  who  lived  in  the  rear 
kouse;  the  officers  threw  him  into  the  mob,  whereupon  I  left 
the  window  to  see  what  had  become  of  my  folks,  and  when  I 
returned  to  the  window  the  officers  were  dragging  Newman  to 
the  station  house.  After  the  above  occurrence  officers  came 
through  37th  Street  from  8th  Avenue,  and  ordered  people  who 
were  sitting  at  the  windows  to  go  away  from  there,  and  with- 
out giving  them  sufficient  time  to  do  so  drew  their  revolvers 
and  fired  them  at  the  occupants  of  the  windows. 

Albertha  L.  Clark. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  21:th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (16^),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Lucinda  Thomson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  351  West  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  I  was  at  home  and  in  my  rooms  between  the  hours 
of  ten  and  eleven  p.  m.  I  have  heard  the  statements  given  by 
my  two  daughters,  namely,  Albertha  L.  Clark  and  Mrs.  ^[artha 
A.  Brown,  and  have  heard  read  the  affidavits  made  and  sub- 
scribed to  by  them,  and  I  know  of  my  own  knowledge  that  all 
the  facts  therein  stated  are  true. 

her 
Mrs.  Lucixda  x  Thomson. 
mark 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  24th  day  of  September,  1900. 
Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


21 

CUy  and  County  of  New  YorTc,  ss. : 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brown,  being  dnly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  Xo.  458  Seventh  Avenne,  New  York  City.  On  Sat- 
urday, August  18th,  1900,  my  brother,  Charles' A.  Mitchell, 
twenty-seven  years  of  age,  and  employed  as  a  waiter,  had  heard 
of  the  riots  and  was  on  his  way  to  see  me,  and  had  reached  the 
comer  of  34th  Street  and  7th  Avenue,  when  he  saw  a  mob  of 
about  five  hundred  people,  led  by  eight  or  nine  officers,  who 
upon  seeing  him  attacked  and  clubbed  him,  hitting  him  on  the 
head  and  shoulders.  He  managed  to  reach  the  front  door  of  my 
home  and  run  into  it,  where  I  aided  him  and  put  him  on  a 
lounge;  this  was  about  ten  o'clock  on  Saturday  evening.  His 
wife  came  to  see  him  about  10:30  and  took  him  home  about  one 
o'clock  Sunday  morning,  where  he  stayed  until  about  two  a,  :m., 
when  he  became  violent,  and  it  became  necessary  to  send  him 
to  the  insane  pavilion  of  Bellevue  Hospital.  All  the  time 
he  was  shouting  in  his  delirium,  "Devery  did  it!  Devery  did  it! 
Here  they  come!"  Deponent  declares  that  while  in  the  insane 
pavilion  of  Bellevue  Hospital  her  brother,  the  said  Charles  A. 
Mitchell,  was  beaten  and  maltreated  by  the  attendants  thereat, 
he  having  a  gash  in  his  head  about  three  inches  long,  and  sim- 
ilar cuts  on  his  wrist  and  two  on  his  leg.  He  stayed  at  Bellevue 
from  Sunday,  the  19th  of  August,  1900,  to  Thursday,  the  23rd 
of  August,  1900,  when  he  was  removed  to  Ward's  Island  In- 
sane Asylum.  Deponent  states  further  that  her  brother  is  of 
very  slight  build,  being  only  five  feet  six  inches  in  height  and 
weighing  about  one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds,  and  that  she 
witnessed  the  clubbing  of  her  brother  by  the  police  as  she  was 
looking  out  of  the  front  window  at  the  time,  and  that  the  said 
clubbing  was  unjustifiable  and  brutal,  and  wholly  without  cause. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brown. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  20th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


Ciiy  and  County  of  New  Yorlc,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brown,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
On  Saturday,  August  18th,  1900, 1  saw  the  mob  going  towards 
37th  Street,  and  while  watching  them  I  saw  a  colored  man  come 
up  from  a  house  somewhere  on  7th  Avenue  between  36th  and 
37th  Streets  and  run  toward  35th  Street.  Some  of  the  officers 
saw  him  and  ran  after  him,  catching  him  and  clubbing  him, 


22 

leaving  liim  lying  on  the  car  track  for  dead.  He  was  picked 
up  by  some  men  and  taken  to  a  saloon  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  36th  Street  and  7th  Avenue. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Brown. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  20th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Willis  I^ng,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  346  West  41st  Street,  New  York  City."^  On  Wednes- 
day, August  15th,  1900,  while  passing  through  34th  Street, 
about  11:30  p.  m.,  I  was  joined  by  a  crowd  of  men  and  boys. 
I  crossed  over  to  the  north  side  of  the  street,  to  where  about 
a  dozen  officers  stood,  on  the  northeast  corner,  in  front  of  a 
saloon.  I  was  grabbed  by  three  of  them  as  soon  as  I  got  near 
them,  and  without  sajdng  a  word  they  started  me  up  8th  Avenue 
towards  the  station  house.  On  the  way  up  8th  Avenue  the  of- 
ficer who  was  behind  me,  and  who  was  feeling  my  clothes  and 
pockets  for  weapons,  said,  "He  has  nothing."  Whereupon  the 
officer  on  my  right  suggested  that  they  go  down  a  dark  street, 
which  was  done  by  turning  west  on  35th  Street.  We  had  gone 
about  one  third  of  the  way  down  the  block,  on  the  south  side 
of  the  street,  when  all  three  officers  turned  on  me  and  beat  me 
with  their  clubs  over  the  head  and  body.  I  was  felled  to  the 
sidewalk.  When  they  stopped  one  of  them  remarked.  "I  guess 
that  will  do  him  for  a  while,"  whereupon  all  three  of  them 
walked  off,  leaving  me  lying  upon  the  sidewalk.  I  managed 
to  get  to  No.  327  West  35th  Street,  when  a  lady  by  the  name  of 
Mrs.  Smith,  who  lives  on  the  second  floor,  and  who  had  seen 
the  officers  clubbing  some  one,  was  standing  on  the  front  stoop 
of  her  home;  she  asked  me  when  she  saw  me  whether  it  was  I 
that  had  been  clubbed,  and  I  told  her  that  it  was.  She 
then  took  me  into  Mrs.  Conner's  apartments  on  the  first  floor 
and  dressed  the  cuts  in  my  head.  Deponent  declares  that  he 
did  not  know  anything  about  a  disturbance,  that  he  did  not 
resist  arrest,  and  that  he  was  perfectly  sober  and  on  his  way 
homo  from  visiting  a  friend  on  East  27th  Street. 

Willis  King. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  27th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond.  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164).  N.  Y.  County. 


23 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Isaiah  0.  Ferguson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  165  East  9rtli  Street,  New  York  City.  On  Wednes- 
day evening,  August  loth,  1900,  I  started  to  go  downtown  on 
the  West  Side,  and  had  reached  the  neighborhof)d  of  8th  Av- 
enue and  43rd  Street,  riding  on  an  8th  Avenue  car,  which  was 
of  the  combination  type,  a"nd  I  was  in  the  closed  part,  when  I 
reached  the  aforementioned  place.  I  noticed  a  large  crowd  of 
people,  and  patrol  wagons  and  ambulances.  I  inquired  from  a 
gentleman  who  sat  next  to  me  what  was  the  matter,  and  he  re- 
plied that  he  did  not  know.  We  proceeded  downtown  and 
had  reached  the  neighborhood  of  36th  Street,  when  suddenly 
the  car,  which  had  been  proceeding  very  slowly,  came  to  a  dead 
stop.  The  motorman  and  the  conductor  both  folded  their  arms 
and  looked  at  me.  The  next  I  knew  a  number  of  men  jumped 
on  the  car,  some  coming  through  the  windows,  and  commenced 
beating  me,  and  continued  to  beat  me  until  I  was  insensible. 
When  I  came  to,  the  car  had  starred  and  was  going  slowly.  I 
was  bewildered  and  dazed,  and  I  rushed  from  the  car  and  down- 
town, several  people  on  the'  way  trying  to  stop  me,  but  I  was 
crazed  with  pain  and  fled  on,  until  I  was  met  by  a  lady  friend, 
who  stopped  me  on  seeing  my  condition,  and  took  me  to  her 
home,  on  17th  Street  near  9th  Avenue,  where  she  bathed  my 
head  and  dressed  my  wounds,  and  where  I  stayed  until  the 
next  morning,  when  I  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  a 
physician  attended  to  me.  Deponent  further  states  as  the  car 
stopped  he  noticed  four  police  officers  on  the  east  side  of  the 
aventie,  and  that  they  made  no  attempt  whatever  to  interfere 
with  the  mob:  further,  that  he  was  proceeding  on  his  journey 
in  a  quiet  manner,  and  had  not  heard  of  any  trouble,  and  that 
he  had  given  absolutely  no  cause  for  the  attack. 

I.  0.  Fergusoit. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  21st  day  of  September.  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd.  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164).  X.  Y.  County. 


Citi/  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Headly  Johnson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  T  reside 
at  330  West  53rd  Street.  I  am  employed  as  a  Pullman  car  por- 
ter, on  the  cars  running  out  of  the  West  Shore  depot.  Weehawkon, 
N.  J.  I  arrived  on  my  train  at  the  said  depot  on  Thursday, 
August  16th,  1900,  at  2:25  p.  m.     I  arrived  in  Xew  York  about 


24 

5  :30  p.  M.  the  same  day,  and,  having  heard  of  the  riots,  I  had 
prepared  to  protect  myself  from  the  mob  by  carrying  home  with 
me  a  revolver.  I  boarded  a  car  at  the  West  Shore  ferry  at  the 
foot  of  West  42nd  Street  and  transferred  to  an  8th  Avenue  car 
at  34th  Street,  and  had  proceeded  as  far  as  40th  Street,  when  the 
car  was  assailed  by  a  mob  shouting,  ''There's  another  nigger  1 
Kill  him  !  l}Tich  him  V  I  stood  up  and  was  ready  to  defend  my- 
self, when  a  passenger  on  the  car  asked  me  to  sit  down,  sa3dng 
that  if  the  mob  got  on  the  car  he  would  help  me  defend  myself. 
I  sat  down  as  requested,  and  happening  to  look  over  my  shoulder 
I  saw  three  police  ofiBcers  in  uniform  running  after  the  car. 
They  boarded  the  car,  and,  seizing  me,  one  of  the  officers  put  his 
hand  in  my  pocket  and  took  the  revolver  from  me,  then  pulled  me 

off  the  car,  saying, ''Come  off  of  here,  you  black  son  of  a  b !"" 

When  they  had  pulled  me  off  the  car  they  immediately  com- 
menced clubbing  me,  and  continued  to  do  so  all  the  way  to  the 
station  house.  While  in  the  station  house  I  saw  several  colored 
men  beaten  by  police  officers.  The  sergeant  at  the  desk,  when  I 
was  sent  to  a  cell,  shouted  to  .the  police  officers,  "Don't  hit  this 
man!"  repeating  the  same  several  times.  I  was  taken  to  the 
police  court  the  next  day,  where  I  was  discharged.  Deponent 
states  further  that  the  officer  who  arrested  him  and  appeared 
against  him  in  the  police  court  is  the  one  who  did  the  most  of 
the  clubbing;  in  fact,  all  of  it  except  one  blow.  Deponent  de- 
clares further  that  he  was  proceeding  quietly  to  his  home,  where 
he  was  determined  to  go,  and  was  not  molesting  anyone,  and  that 
when  the  officers  signified  their  intention  to  arrest  him  he  made 
no  show  of  resistance,  and  that  therefore  the  clubbing  was  un- 
justifiable and  an  outrage.  Headly  Johnson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  8th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Benjamin  McCoy,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  I  reside 
at  226  West  40th  Street.  On  Thursday,  August  leth,  1900, 
about  five  a.  m.,  I  arose  to  go  to  my  work.  I  went  to  Dobbins^ 
restaurant,  on  8th  Avenue  between  40th  and  41st  Streets,  and 
had  breakfast,  after  finishing  which  I  went  to  the  corner  of  41st 
Street  to  board  an  8th  Avenue  car,. to  reach  my  place  of  business. 
As  I  was  standing  waiting  for  the  car  I  saw  two  officers  walking 
on  the  east  side  of  the  street,  and  a  colored  man  came  running 
along  with  blood  streaming  from  his  head,  and  said  to  me,  "Don't 


25 

stand  there ;  go  away,  or  those  policemen  will  club  you  to  death ; 
they  just  clubbed  me.*^  The  car  came  along  just  then,  and  I 
walked  out  to  get  on  board,  and  had  put  my  hand  on  the  rail, 
when  one  of  the  officers  who  had  been  on  the  other  side  of  the 
street  came  suddenly  around  from  behind  the  car,  and  struck  me 
on  the  shin  of  my  left  leg,  and  struck  me  several  times  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  leg,  saying,  ^^Get  in  there,  get  in  there  I  What 
are  you  standing  around  here  whistling  for  ?"  Deponent  declares 
that  he  was  not  creating  any  disturbance  at  the  time,  and  that 
there  were  not  over  four  or  five  persons,  outside  of  the  police  of- 
ficers, on  the  street  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  and  that  the 
assault  was  entirely  unwarranted  and  unjustifiable  and  a  flagrant 
outrage,  perpetrated,  by  one  by  whom  deponent  would  expect,  and 
had  a  right  to  expect,  to  be  protected. 

Benja:mix  McCoy. 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  7th  day  of  September,  1900. 


City  and  County  of  Xeiu  Yorl\  ss.: 

Albert  Saunders,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says :  1  live  at 
440  West  45th  Street.  I  work  at  118  West  2rth  Street.  On 
August  15th  I  left  my  work  at  night  and  walked  up  8th  Avenue 
toward  my  home.  About  38th  Street  a  crowd  ran  at  me,  some- 
body struck  me,  and  I  staggered,  and  then  I  received  another 
blow  that  cut  open  my  head  and  made  me  speechless.  I  found 
myself  in  the  hands  of  an  officer,  who  took  me  to  the  station 
house,  where  my  wound  was  dressed.  I  stayed  there  till  about 
four  A.  M.  A  number  of  colored  men  were  brought  in  by  offi- 
cers, some  of  them  cut  and  bleeding,  like  myself.  I  rem^ember  a 
colored  man  who  was  brought  in  bleeding,  and  naked  except  for  a 
merino  shirt.  When  he  was  taken  back  to  the  cells  the  policeman 
who  had  him  clubbed  his  legs.  Another  man  who  had  a  cut  head 
was  advised  by  the  jailer  to  put  his  head  under  the  hydrant,  but 
the  man  said  he  was  afraid  the  officer  who  had  him  would  strike 
him  again  if  he  got  his  head  down,  so  the  jailer  got  a  pail  and 
washed  it.  I  was  not  in  a  position  where  I  could  see  clearly  all 
that  happened,  but  I  saw  several  other  colored  men  struck  and 
abused  by  policemen.  I  am  an  English  subject,  was  born  in  St. 
Kitts,  and  suppose  that  my  speech  showed  that  I  was  not  an 
American  and  protected  me.  Albert  Saunders. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Frank  !Moss,  Xotary  Public.  "X.  Y.  County. 


26 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

George  White,  of  145  West  32iid  Street,  being  duly  sworn,  de- 
poses and  says  that  on  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900,  at  half 
past  ten  p.  m.^  while  riding  on  a  34th  Street  car,  going  east,  he 
saw  and  heard  a  crowd  of  boys  and  young  men  running  and  yell- 
ing at  the  car  that  he  was  on,  and  that  immediately  after  he  saw 
three  police  officers  board  the  said  car,  and  upon  seeing  deponent 
they  grabbed  him  by  the  arm  and  clubbed  him  over  the  head  and 
arms,  pulled  him  off  the  car,  and  continued  to  club  him.  They 
then  took  him  to  the  West  37th  Street  station  house,  where  his 
wounds  were  dressed  by  a  surgeon  from  one  of  the  hospitals,  who 
was  there.  Deponent  further  states  that  he  is  not  addicted  to 
the  use  of  liquor,  had  not  been  drinking  on  the  said  day,  and  that 
he  was  not  intoxicated  at  the  time  of  the  clubbing;  that  he  was 
not  placed  under  arrest,  and  that  he  remained  in  the  station  house 
until  after  the  storm  came  up,  or  as  near  as  he  can  remember 
about  three  o'clock  A.  m.  the  next  morning,  by  reason  of  being 
told  that  there  was  a  mob  outside  waiting  to  beat  all  Negroes  that 
they  could  catch.  Further,  that  by  reason  of  the  suddenness  of 
the  attack  he  did  not  look  closely  at  the  assailants,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  identify  them.  his 

George  x  White. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond;  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Charles  Bennett,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  309  West  37tli  Street.  On  August  15th,  1900, 
I  was  working  for  a  man  named  Mr.  O'Connor,  who  keeps  a 
saloon  at  Coney  Island.  I  quit  work  at  one  o'clock  A.  m.  the 
next  day  (August  16th),  and  started  for  home  with  a  man 
named  Wilson.  We  boarded  an  8th  Avenue  car  at  Warren  Street 
and  Broadway,  which  was  going  north;  just  before  we  reached 
the  street  whereon  I  reside  the  conductor  of  the  car  upon  which 
we  were  riding  told  us  that  there  had  been  a  riot,  that  it  was 
because  of  the  death  of  the  police  officer,  and  that  they  were 
attacking  every  colored  man  that  they  caught.  I  then  said 
that  we  had  better  get  off;  the  conductor  then  said  that  it  was 
"pretty  quiet"  when  he  came  down.  We  got  off  the  car  at  8th 
Avenue  and  37th  Street,  and  at  3:30  A.  m.  had  almost  reached 


27 

the  front  door  of  my  home  when  several  police  officers  from 
among  a  group  of  about  a  dozen  called  to  me  asking  me  where 
I  was  going.  I  told  them,  "Home  here."  I  was  then  in  front 
of  my  door,  and  immediately  after  making  my  reply  an  officer 
hit  me  with  his  club,  knocking  me  down.  I  struggled  to  my 
feet  and  endeavored  to  run  towards  8th  Avenue,  but  was  pur- 
sued by  the  officers  and  knocked  down  again  at  the  comer 
of  8th  Avenue  and  36th  Street.  It  was  raining  very  hard  at 
the  time,  and  they  threw  me  into  the  gutter,  which  was  full  of 
rain  w^ater;  they  kept  my  head  in  the  water  until  I  strangled, 
when  they  let  up,  jumped  on  me,  and  pushed  me  back  again 
into  the  gutter.  After  a  while  they  called  a  patrol  wagon,  into 
which  they  threw  me,  and  beat  me  all  the  way  to  the  station 
house  in  37th  Street.  Upon  my  arrival  there  my  head  had  been 
cut  open;  I  was  covered  with  blood  and  bruises  from  the  beat- 
ing and  clubbing  I  had  received.  While  in  the  station  house 
I  told  Captain  Cooney  that  I  had  been  clubbed  by  policemen. 
I  remained  in  the  station  house  for  about  half  an  hour,  and 
while  there  I  heard  a  man  who  was  dressed  in  citizen^s  clothes 

say  to  the  officers  present,  ^'Club  every  d d  nigger  you  see; 

kill  them;  shoot  them;  be  brave,  the  same  as  I  was."  The  man 
answered,  "All  right;  will  you  stick  to  us?"  He  answered,  "Yes, 
ril  stand  by  you."  I  heard  this  man  called  Thompson  by  some 
of  the  officers.  He  went  among  the  colored  men  who  were  pres- 
ent and  who  were  in  almost  as  bad  condition  as  I  was,  asking 
their  names,  where  they  had  lived,  and  what  they  had  been  doing. 
After  receiving  their  answers  he  said  to  each  of  them,  "Get  ter 
h — 1  home  out  of  here;  they'd  ought  ter  have  killed  yer!"  When 
he  came  to  me  he  said,  "What's  your  name?"  I  told  him;  then 
he  said,  "What  were  you  doing?"  I  said,  "I  just  come  from  work 
at  Coney  Island."     He  exclaimed,  "Coney  Island,  eh  I     That's 

a  d d  nice  place  to  be  working.     Where  do  you  live?"     I 

told  him,  when  he  said,  "Another  nice  place  right  in  my  dis- 
trict, the  worst  block  in  the  whole  district."  He  did  not 
tell  me  to  get  out,  but  I  was  shortly  after  taken  to  Roose- 
velt Hospital  and  from  there  to  Bellevue  Hospital,  where 
I  remained  a  week,  when  I  was  taken  to  54th  Street  Court, 
where  I  had  a  hearing  and  was  discharged  on  August  28th, 
1900.  While  I  was  being  clubbed  in  the  street  one  of 
the  officers  said,  "Search  him,"  whereupon  they  stopped  the 
clubbing  long  enough  to  search  my  pockets  and  take  fourteen 
dollars  in  bills  from  me,  which  I  had  in  my  hip  pocket  of  my 
trousers.     I  have  never  had  the  said  monev  returned  to  me. 


28 

While  I  was  in  the  station  house  Captain  Coone}^  was  there,  but 
not  in  uniform,  and  the  aforesaid  man  whom  they  called  Thomp- 
son was  giving  orders  to  the  men,  in  the  presence  of  Captain 
Cooney.  At  the  time  that  I  had  reached  my  home  on  the  said 
night  there  was  no  disturbance  in  the  neighborhood,  and  there 
was  but  one  man  in  sight,  and  he  was  chased  away  by  the  of- 
ficers. Everytliing  was  quiet  in  the  neighborhood,  and  on  the 
way  uptown  on  the  car  I  saw  no  signs  of  a  disturbance,  and 
would  not  have  known  anything  about  there  having  been  any- 
thing of  the  kind  if  I  had  not  been  informed  by  the  car  con- 
ductor. I  can  identify  two  of  the  officers  who  took  part  in  the 
clubbing,  one  of  whom  was  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes,  and  who, 
I  think,  was  one  of  the  wardmen  attached  to  that  precinct. 
(The  witness  subsequently  identified  Officer  Herman  Ohm.) 
Deponent  further  states  that  he  has  resided  in  the  City  of  New 
York  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  and  has  never  been  arrested 
"before  in  his  life,  ^nd  has  always  been  a  quiet,  law-abiding  cit- 
izen, his 

Chakles  X  Bennett. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Ham].ioxd,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

James  Joseph  Lockett,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  323  West  37th  Street,  in  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan. I  am  a  cigar  maker,  and  am  employed  by  Gahio  & 
Eoverie,  on  East  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August  15th, 
1900,  at  about  eight  p.  m.,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  I  called  at 
the  residence  of  Thomas  H.  McGuire,  a  friend  of  mine  who  re- 
sides at  No.  410  West  36th  Street,  where  we  remained  until 
about  11:15  p.  m.  AVe  walked  east  on  36th  Street  to  8th  Av- 
enue, where  we  met  four  police  officers  in  uniform  on  the  north- 
west corner.  We  passed  them  and  turned  into  8th  Avenue, 
walking  on  the  west  side  of  the  avenue,  towards  37th  Street. 
We  had  not  gone  over  fifty  feet  when  the  officers  ran  after  us 
and  beat  us  with  their  clubs.     One  of  the  officers  said  to  me, 

'^You  black  son  of  a  b ,  you  have  a  knife!"  and  struck  me 

on  the  head  with  a  club  several  times,  and  then  led  us  to  the 
station  house.  There  we  were  searched  by  the  officer,  who  took 
eleven  dollars  in  money — two  two-dollar  bills,  one  five-dollar 
bill,  and  two  one-dollar  bills — one  rent  receipt  for  thirteen  dol- 


29 

lars  and  fifty  cents  for  August,  signed  by  Herbert  Peck  &  Co., 
none  of  which  has  been  returned  to  me.  The  sergeant,  in  uni- 
form, was  behind  the  desk,  and  the  roundsman  made  the  entry. 
I  was  charged  with  being  drunk  and  carrying  a  knife.  My  head 
was  bleeding  profusely  from  the  wounds  inflicted  by  the  police 
officers,  and  the  police  surgeon  at  the  station  house  had  to  dress 
them.  After  this  I  was  placed  in  a  cell.  The  next  morning  I 
was  arraigned  in  the  Magistrates^  Court  on  West  54th  Street. 
The  officer  swore  that  I  was  drunk  and  disorderly  and  car- 
ried a  knife.  The  magistrate  hfeld  me  in  $500  bail,  and  I  was 
bailed  by  Mr.  Gamer.  I  was  not  drunk  on  the  occasion  in 
question.  I  had  drunk  three,  and  positively  not  more  than 
four,  glasses  of  beer  at  Mr.  McGuire's  house.  I  did  nothing 
which  would  justify  this  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  police  of- 
ficers. On  August  23rd  an  officer  called  at  my  house.  He  said  he 
was  generally  known  as  "Bootsey,"  and  was  sent  by  the  Captain 
to  obtain  a  statement  from  me,  which  I  gave  him.  He  was  in 
citizen's  clothes.  He  called  again  on  August  24th,  and  said 
that  Captain  Cooney  wanted  to  see  me  at  the  station  house. 
I  did  not  go  to  see  him. 

James  Joseph  Lockett. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 
Stephen  B.  Brague,  Notary  Public  (125),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  Yorlc,  ss.: 

Lavinia  Lockett,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
That  she  is  the  wife  of  James  Joseph  Lockett,  and  resides 
at  323  West  3rth  Street,  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan.  That 
on  August  15th,  1900,  at  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
she  with  her  husband  visited  Mr.  Thomas  H.  McGuire,  a  friend 
of  ours,  where  we  remained  until  about  11:15  p.  m.  Walking 
easterly  to  8th  Avenue,  we  met  four  police  officers  in  uniform 
on  the  northwest  comer.  We  had  gone  about  fifty  feet,  when 
the  officers  ran  after  us  and  struck  my  husband  with  a  club  and 

said,  "You  black  son  of  a  b ,  you  have  a  knife,"  and  when 

deponent  screamed  she  was  struck  in  the  mouth  and  chest  with 
a  club  by  one  of  the  officers.  We  were  taken  to  the  station  and 
locked  in  cells;  my  husband  was  charged  with  being  drunk  and 
disorderly,  and  we  were  held  in  bail  in  the  sum  of  $500.  Neither 
my  husband  nor  myself  was  intoxicated,  and  saw  no  crowd  or 


30 

any  row  and  no  excitement  on  our  way  home  until  we  were 
assaulted. 

LaVINIA  LpCKETT. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 
Stephen  B.  Brague,  Notary  Public  (125),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

William  Hamer,  of  No.  494  ?th  Avenue,  being  duly  sworn, 
deposes  and  says: 

I  am  a  musician.  I  am  employed  at  "The  Fair,"  kept  by 
Mr.  Samuels,  on  14th  Street  between  3rd  and  4th  Avenues.  My 
wife  is  employed  there  also.  On  August  15th  I  finished  my 
work  about  11:30  p.  m.  I  took  the  crosstown  14th  Street  car 
and  changed  to  the  7th  Avenue  horse  cars.  I  had  not  heard 
anytliing  of  the  riot.  The  car  stopped  between  36th  and  37th 
Streets,  and  my  wife  and  I  were  dragged  from  the  car  by  a  crowd 
of  men  and  lads  armed  with  sticks  and  stones.  I  ran  into  a  stable 
at  37th  Street  and  7th  Avenue,  and  they  beat  me  in  there  and 
left  me  for  dead.  A  stone  or  something  hit  me  in  the  stomach, 
and  I  fell  into  a  water  trough.  My  wife  and  I  were  separated, 
and  she  did  not  find  me.  I  crawled  out  of  the  stable  into  a 
lumber  yard  and  lay  there  in  my  blood  until  three  a.  m.  I  have 
been  in  the  doctor's  care  ever  since,  and  am  out  to-day  for  the 
first  time.  My  doctor  is  Dr.  Yarnell,  of  Park  Avenue  near 
84th  Street.  When  I  was  pulled  out  of  the  car  I  noticed  a  col- 
ored man  lying  unconscious  on  the  ground.  There  were  at 
least  a  dozen  policemen  standing  around.  They  did  nothing, 
and  made  no  effort  to  protect  me. 

William  Hamer. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Frank  Moss,  Notary  Public.  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Annie  Hamer,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that 
she  resides  at  494  7th  Avenue ;  that  she  is  employed  as  a  musician 
at  "The  Fair,''  in  East  14th  Street ;  that  on  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  about  midnight  thereof,  she  in  company  with  her  hus- 
band arrived  at  7th  Avenue  between  36th  and  37th  Streets  on  a 
7th  Avenue  car ;  that  when  she  alighted  from  the  car  she  found 
herself  surrounded  bv  a  mob,  and  almost  instantly  was  struck  in 


31 

the  mouth  with  a  brick,  thrown  by  some  one  whom  she  does  not 
know.  She  became  separated  from  her  husband,  and  did  not 
know  what  became  of  him  until  three  a.  m.  the  next  morning, 
when  he  came  home  all  covered  with  blood.  Deponent  states 
further  that  she  has  read  the  affidavit  of  her  husband,  hereto  at- 
tached, and  knows  of  her  own  knowledge  that  the  facts  therein 
stated  are  true.  Deponent  further  states  that  she  has  been  in- 
formed by  her  mother  that  the  "captain"  stationed  officers  at  the 
door  of  her  residence,  and  told  them  to  "not  let  anyone  in  or  out, 
and  if  anyone  attempted  it  to  shoot  them." 

Annie  Hamer. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  6th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Xotary  Public  (164),  X.  Y.  County. 


CUy  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

WiUiam  Lemoine,  residing  at  68  West  43rd  Street,  being  duly 
sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  on  Wednesday,  August  15th^  1900, 
he  started  at  7  :55  p.  m.  to  attend  a  meeting  of  Odd  Fellows  being 
held  at  29th  Street  between  6th  and  7th  Avenues,  and  had 
reached  7th  Avenue  between  35th  and  36th  Streets,  when  he  met 
two  white  men,  who  said  to  him,  "You  had  better  not  go  down 
that  way,  you  will  get  mobbed."  I  said,  "Mobbed !  for  what  ?" 
They  said,  "Why,  they  are  having  a  riot  down  there."  I  con- 
tinued on,  however,  until  I  reached  34th  and  35th  Streets  on  7th 
Avenue,  where  I  met  two  white  women,  who  said  to  me,  "Do  you 
want  to  get  killed?  If  you  don't  you  had  better  go  on  back." 
I  thereupon  went  no  further  in  that  direction,  but  turned  back 
up  7th  Avenue,  and  went  as  far  as  483  7th  Avenue,  and  saw  a 
crowd  coming  down  7th  Avenue  from  about  41st  Street,  and  an- 
other from  about  34th  Streets.  Both  of  the  crowds  were  composed 
of  boys  and  young  men  who  were  in  the  lead  shouting  and  yell- 
ing, while  in  the  midst  of  them  were  two  or  three  police  officers. 
The  boy?  would  stir  up  a  colored  man  and  begin  yelling,  "There 
he  goes !  There  is  one  of  them !"  and  the  boys  would  imme- 
diately run  after  them,  and  the  police  follow.  I  saw  them  over- 
take two  colored  men,  and  saw  the  police  take  them  down  37th 
Street  towards  8th  Avenue.  While  I  was  standing  in  front  of 
483  7th  Avenue  a  friend  of  mine,  Mrs.  Harriet  Ann  Bruna,  who 
now  resides  at  152  West  27th  Street,  called  to  me  from  her  win- 
dow, and  told  me  to  come  upstairs,  which  I  did.  She  then  said 
that  I  had  better  go  into  the  hall  bedroom  and  stay  there  over- 
night, as  I  might  get  hurt  if  I  stayed  outside  or  attempted  to  get 


32 

home.  This  was  about  8  :30  p.  m.  I  then  went  into  the  hall  bed- 
room aforementioned,  and  remained  there  looking  out  of  the 
window  for  about  one  hour  and  a  half,  during  which  time  the 
blinds  were  closed  or  turned  down;  I  then  undressed  and  went 
to  bed,  and  was  in  bed  about  an  hour  and  three  quarters,  or  until 
about  11 :45  P.  M.^  when  I  heard  a  crash  at  the  front  door  down- 
stairs and  heard  some  one  coming  upstairs;  when  they  reached 
my  door  they  knocked  at  it  with  their  clubs,  and  broke  in  the 
central  panel  of  the  door,  when  I  said,  "Don't  break  in  the  door^ 
gentlemen ;  I'll  open  it,'^  which  I  did.  Four  officers  in  uniform 
and  two  men  in  citizens'  clothes  came  in,  and  exclaimed,  "Here 

is  the  d d  nigger;  kill  him!"    One  in  citizen's  clothes  came 

over  to  me  (I  had  fallen  on  the  bed)  and,  striking  me  on  the  hip 
with  his  club,  said,  "Come,  get  up  out  of  there,  where  is  that 
gun  ?"  I  said,  "I  have  no  gun ;  there's  my  clothes ;  search  them 
and  the  room.  I  have  done  nothing ;  I  have  been  asleep."  The 
officers  then  searched  the  room,  my  clothes,  and  myself,  and  found 
nothing.  The  one  in  citizen's  clothes  then  said,  "He  has  no  gun ; 
we  can't  do  anything."  The  women  in  the  house  commenced  to 
scream,  and  the  officers  then  broke  in  the  door  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Mitchell,  on  the  second  floor,  frightening  her  so  that  she  has  been 
unable  to  leave  her  bed  ever  since.  I  was  hipshodden  for  a 
couple  of  days,  and  I  rubbed  it  with  liniment  for  a  couple  of  days- 
until  the  misery  got  out  of  it.  Deponent  further  says  that  he  has- 
resided  in  San  Francisco  for  the  past  eight  years,  and  had  just 
arrived  in  the  city  the  day  before  the  riot,  and  did  not  create  any 
disturbance  at  that  or  any  other  time ;  and  further,  that  he  did 
not  fire  any  shot  from  any  firearm  on  that  evening ;  and  further- 
more, never  owned  a  gun,  and  never  carried  one. 

William  Lemoixe. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  30th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  Couniy  of  New  Yorh,  ss.: 

Walter  W.  Coulter  (white),  481  7th  Avenue,  being  duly  sworn, 
deposes  and  says  that  on  Wednesday  evening,  August  15th,  1900^ 
there  was  quite  a  disturbance  around  his  place  of  business,  and  at 
about  11 :30  p.  M.  he  saw  a  number  of  officers  and  men  in  citizens^ 
clothes  go  into  the  houses  481  and  483,  and  he,  thinking  they 
were  part  of  the  crowd  of  roughs,  stepped  up  to  a  police  officer, 
who  was  quite  tall  and  stout  and  of  reddish  complexion,  and  said 
to  him,  "Why  do  you  allow  those  rowdies  to  go  up  into  that 


33 

house;  there  is  uo  one  except  a  lot  of  respectable  women  and  chil- 
dren in  there,  and  possibly  one  man."  The  police  officer  replied 
as  follows:  "You  go  on  and  mind  your  own  respectability,  and 
you  will  have  enough  to  do ;  they  just  shied  a  brick  at  us."  De- 
ponent further  states  that  no  brick  had  been  thrown;  that,  in 
fact,  they  could  not  get  a  brick,  as  he  was  looking  for  one  a  short 
while  before  that  to  do  some  repairing  with,  and  could  not  find 
one;  that  the  only  apparent  reason  for  their  going  into  the  house 
was  the  fact  that  a  large,  tall  man,  whom  he  can  identify  if  he 
sees  him  again,  came  along  7th  Avenue,  and  seeing  this  colored 
man  in  the  window  called  out,  "There's  a  big  nigger;  get  him!" 
and  immediately  there  was  a  rush  made  for  the  house.  Deponent 
states  further  that  the  police  knew  there  were  none  but  respecta- 
ble people  in  that  house,  as  deponent  had  gone  to  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  to  get  rid  of  a  lot  of  dissolute  people  who  were  in  the 
house  about  a  year  ago,  and  in  his  endeavors  to  get  rid  of  them 
had  called  upon  the  police  to  aid  him,  so  that  they  were  perfectly 
cognizant  of  the  facts  in  the  case.  Walter  W.  Coulter. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Ha^imoxd.  Jr..  Notary  Public  (164),  N".  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  Neiu  York,  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mitchell,  being  diil}-  sworn,  deposes  and  says 
that  she  resides  at  481  7th  Avenue;  that  on  Wednesday  evening, 
August  loth,  1900,  about  11 :30  p.  :si.,  two  police  officers  in  citi- 
zens^ clothes  and  one  in  citizen's  dress  broke  in  the  door  of  her 
apartments  claiming  to  be  looking  for  ^'the  man  that  threw  the 
bottle."  She  answered  and  said  that  "no  bottle  was  thrown," 
and  that  it  was  a  shame  for  them  to  break  in  the  door  of  respecta- 
ble people;  that  her  sister,  Mrs.  Kate  Jackson,  became  fright- 
ened at  the  uproar,  and  thinking  that  the  life  of  her  chil- 
dren and  herself  was  in  danger,  jumped  out  of  the  window  with 
her  three-year-old  child  in  her  arms,  thereby  endangering  the  life 
of  herself  and  child,  and  in  consequence  is  now  confined  to  her 
bed  with  shock,  fright,  and  bruises.  That  at  six  a.  m.  the  next 
morning  she  saw  a  colored  man  and  woman  assaulted  on  the  cor- 
ner of  36th  Street  and  7th  Avenue.  Also  at  52nd  Street  and  7th 
Avenue,  between  eleven  and  twelve  a.  m.^  she  saw  a  colored  man 
assaulted  by  a  white  man,  and  when  the  officer  attempted  to  in- 
terfere and  arrest  the  white  man  the  motormen  around  the  stables 
refused  to  allow  him  to  arrest  him.  She  states  further  that  one 
3 


34 

of  the  officers'  first  name  was  "Jim/"'  as  she  lieard  him  so  ad- 
dressed by  the  man  in  citizen's  clothes. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Mitchell. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd,  Jr.,  Xotary  Public  (164).  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Kate  Jackson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that 
she  resides  at  481  7th  Avenue,  and  that  on  Wednesday  evening, 
August  15th,  1900,  she  heard  a  great  commotion  in  the  hallway 
and  almost  immediately  a  loud  knocking  on  her  door,  and  loud 
demands  to  open  the  door.  She  thought  by  the  sound  that  the 
mob  that  she  had  heard  and  seen  about  the  house  was  endeavoring 
to  get  into  her  rooms,  and  do  her  and  her  children  bodily  harm, 
and  possibly  murder.  She  caught  up  her  youngest  child  (three 
years  old)  in  her  arms,  and  in  her  frenzy  and  fright  jumped  out 
the  window  on  to  a  shed  and  thence  to  the  yard,  the  child  still  in 
her  arms,  receiving  bruises  during  her  descent  which  have  made 
her  lame  and  unable  to  walk,  and  has  suffered  so  from  shock  that 
she  is  now  in  bed  and  unable  to  leave  it,  and  is  under  the  care  of 
her  physician.  Dr.  William  Hartley,  335  West  34th  Street. 

Mrs.  Katie  Jackson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

William  L.  Hall,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he 
resides  at  202  West  49th  Street;  that  he  is  employed  as  an  el- 
evator conductor  by  E.  H.  Macy  &  Co.,  on  West  14th  Street; 
that  on  August  15th,  1900,  he  was  on  his  way  to  visit  a  friend 
at  410  West  36th  Street,  and  had  reached  36th  Street  and  9th 
Avenue,  when  a  crowd  of  young  men  and  boys,  from  about  six- 
teen to  nineteen  years  of  age,  got  around  him  and  commenced 
yelling,  jeering,  hooting,  and  striking  him  with  their  fists,  and 
with  sticks,  pieces  of  pipe,  and  one  in  particular  struck  him  in 
the  side  with  a  weapon  made  of  a  long  piece  of  wire,  with  a  ham- 
mer head  fastened  to  it.  He  ran  away  from  the  crowd,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  a  house  in  36t.h  Street  between  8th  and  9th 
Avenues,  and  succeeded  in  defending  himself  there  for  about 
an  hour  and  a  half,  and  finally  managed  to  get  out  and  home. 
Deponent  states  further  that  at  tke  time  of  the  assault,  and  at 


35 

the  commencement  of  it,  four  of&cers  in  full  uniform  were  in 
the  midst  of  the  crowd  of  rioters,  and  were  with  them  while  they 
(the  rioters)  were  attacking  the  house  with  stones,  and  that  at 
that  time,  and  at  no  time  during  the  assault  by  the  rioters,  did 
these  officers  make  any  attempt  to  protect  deponent,  or  to  stop 
the  assault  by  the  rioters,  but  on  the  contrary,  by  reason  of  their 
presence  and  inaction  on  their  part,  they  encouraged  the  said 
rioters  to  greater  deeds  of  violence;  that  the  deponent  is  a 
peaceable,  law-abiding  citizen  and  a  member  of  St.  Mark's  M. 
E.  Church,  on  West  53rd  Street,  and  that  on  the  said  evening 
he  was  molesting  no  one,  and  was  walking  quietly  along  w'ith 
Joseph  Caeser,  of  121  West  46th  Street,  and  John  Hansborough, 
of  329  West  53rd  Street,  who  also  were  attacked  by  the  rioters. 

William  L.  Hall. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  1st  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Je.,  Xotarv  Public  (161:),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

William  E.  Johnson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  332  West  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  fearing  that  there  might  be  trouble  over  the  killing 
of  Officer  Thorpe,  I  remained  in  the  house  all  day  and  did  not  go 
out  until  about  eleven  p.  m.,  when  I  went  across  the  street  to  get 
my  mail  from  331  West  37th  Street,  where  I  have  a  letter  box, 
because  where  I  live  at  present  the  letter  boxes  are  easily  rifled, 
and  this  box  is  more  secure.  Upon  returning  to  the  house, 
which  I  did  about  five  or  ten  minutes  after  leaving  it,  I  found 
a  police  officer  standing  in  the  front  of  the  house,  ordering  the 
tenants  who  were  sitting  on  the  front  stoop  to  go  inside,  and 
saying  that  if  he  found  them  there  when  he  came  back  he  would 
club  every  one  of  them  that  he  found  there.  The  people  then 
jumped  up  and  ran  inside,  and  the  officer  immediately  followed 
them,  striking  at  them,  and  struck  one  woman  across  the  face. 
As  the  people  got  inside  the  vestibule  door  the  said  door  closed, 
and  I,  thinking  that  the  officer  would  not  go  inside,  opened  the 
door  and  stepped  inside,  whereupon  the  officer  rushed  into  the 
hall,  and  struck  me  a  blow  on  the  head,  felling  me  to  my 
knees.  I  said,  "Officer,  I  have  done  nothing;  why  do  you  strike 
me?"  The  officer  said  nothing,  but  jumped  over  me,  chasing 
some  of  the  tenants  who  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  upstairs. 
While  he  was  doing  that  I  went  out  into  the  street,  holding  my 
head,  which  had  been  cut  open  by  the  blow,  when  the  officer 


came  out  of  the  house  and,  grabbing  me,  pushed  me  into  the 
street  and  commenced  to  club  me  again.  I  ran  across  the  street 
to  the  tailor  shop  of  I.  Cohn,  at  337  West  37th  Street,  and  into 
the  back  room  of  his  place,  and  fell  on  the  sofa,  where  the  of- 
ficer, who  had  followed  me  in,  renewed  the  clubbing  and  dragged 
me  out  into  the  street  and  to  the  37th  Street  station  house; 
and  on  the  corner  of  9th  Avenue  and  37th  Street  they  met  an 
officer  who  was  in  citizen's  clothes.  The  said  officer  drew  his 
billy  from  his  pocket,  and  struck  me  a  blow  across  the  neck,  and 
put  his  billy  back  into  his  pocket.  When  I  reached  the  station 
house  I  did  not  answer  any  questions,  and  the  sergeant  who  was 
behind  the  desk  knew  my  last  name  and  entered  it  on  the 
blotter  as  Albert  Johnson,  not  knowing  my  first  name.  I  was 
put  in  a  cell,  and  after  I  was  put  in  a  cell  two  more  were  put  in 
^vith  me,  and  once  or  twice  while  I  was  there  an  officer  came 
through,  and  going  to  each  cell  called  the  occupant  to  the  door, 
asked  them  their  names,  etc.,  and  would  then  take  his  billy  and 
push  it  through  the  bars  into  their  faces.  In  one  case  he  struck 
one  man  in  the  face,  knocking  out  two  of  his  front  teeth;  this 
man  was  sent  to  the  island  the  next  day,  and  I  believe  is  now 
there.  On  the  Tuesday  following  Acting  Captain  Cooney  called 
and  brought  me  down  to  the  station  house,  and  asked  me  who 
the  officer  was  that  assaulted  me.  Deponent  then  described  the 
officer  to  him,  and  after  consulting  the  blotter  he  handed  me 
a  slip  of  paper  whereon  was  written  the  name  "Herman  Ohm" 
saying  that  was  the  name  of  the  officer  who  had  assaulted  me. 
Captain  Cooney  expressed  surprise  that  any  of  the  officers  should 
have  beaten  me,  as  I  was  known  to  a  great  many  of  them.  The 
officer  charged  me  with  ha^dng  a  gun,  and  of  giving  him  a  fight 
in  the  hallway,  but  did  not  produce  the  gun  and  was  given  until 
the  next  day  to  produce  it,  when  he  produced  a  revolver  and  a 
bread  knife  of  peculiar  shape,  claiming  that  was  what  I  had  in 
my  possession  at  the  time  of  my  arrest.  Deponent  denied  then 
and  now  that  he  had  ever  had  a  revolver  and  knife  in  his  posses- 
sion, and  that  the  only  thing  that  was  found  on  him  and  taken 
from  him  was  fifty  cents  in  money  and  a  small  penknife.  Not- 
withstanding the  denial  of  the  ownership  of  tlio  revolver  and 
knife  by  the  deponent,  and  also  that  the  officer  brought  no  wit- 
nesses as  to  his  taking  the  said  articles  from  him,  deponent  was 
fined  fifteen  dollars,  which  was  paid. 

W.  E.  Johnson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September.  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


37 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Edwin  H.  Broadard^  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that 
he  resides  at  332  West  37th  Street;  that  he  witnessed  the  action 
of  the  officer  mentioned  in  the  above  affidavit  of  W.  E.  Johnson, 
and  also  the  subsequent  clubbing  of  Johnson  by  the  said  officer, 
and  that  deponent  was  one  of  the  tenants  who  was  chased  off  the 
stoop  by  the  said  officer;  that  the  assault  on  the  tenants  by  the 
said  officer  was  unwarranted  and  without  justification. 

Edwin  H.  Bkoadard. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  YorTc,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Kosa  Lewis,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  332  West  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  about  eleven  p.  m.,  I  in  company  with  my  husband 
and  a  number  of  other  tenants  were  sitting  on  the  front  stoop  of 
our  home,  when  an  officer  approached  and  ordered  us  to  "get 
inside  out  of  that,"  adding  that  if  we  didn^t  he'd  club  us.  All 
of  the  tenants  immediately  obeyed  and  passed  on  into  the  hall- 
way, and  I  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  stairs  leading  up  to  my 
rooms  when  the  officer,  who  had  rushed  into  the  hallway,  struck 
me  over  the  back  with  his  club;  I  was  lame  in  my  back  and  suf- 
fered pain  from  it  for  a  number  of  days.  Deponent  states  fur- 
ther that  the  staircase  is  in  the  center  of  the  house  and  about 
fifteen  feet  from  the  main  entrance;  that  she  was  using  every 
endeavor  to  comply  with  the  command  of  the  officer,  which 
was  given  in  an  insulting  and  ill-natured  manner. 

EosA  Lewis. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  13th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notan-  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. : 

Maria  Williams,  of  No.  206  West  27th  Street,  and  Carrie 
Wells,  of  No.  239  West  29th  Street,  in  the  Borough  of  Manhat- 
tan, being  severally  duly  sworn,  depose  and  say: 

On  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900,  we  w^ere  sitting  on  the 
stoop  of  No.  239  West  29th  Street,  talking;  we  had  been  sitting 
there  since  9:30  p.  m.  We  had  there  learned  of  the  assaults  on 
the  Negroes  in  this  section,  and  heard  the  noise  of  the  crowds 


38 

and  the  stopping  of  the  cars  on  8th  Avenue.  There  was  no 
crowd  in  the  street  at  this  time.  There  were  white  and  colored 
folks  sitting  on  nearly  all  the  stoops,  the  same  as  occurs  on  any 
ordinary  warm  night.  About  11:30  several  officers  came  through 
the  street  from  8th  Avenue  and  walked  towards  7th  Avenue, 
three  on  the  north  side  and  four  on  the  south  side.  Xo  one  in 
the  street  had  been  molested  by  anyone.  These  officers  walked 
up  the  stoops,  and  without  any  warning  ordered  us  into  our 
houses,  at  the  same  time  striking  at  us.  Mrs.  Wells,  the  mother 
of  deponent  Carrie  Wells,  was  on  the  stoop  one  step  from  the 
bottom  with  three  of  her  children,  aged  respectively  fourteen, 
thirteen,  and  twelve  years.  An  officer  who  is  called  "Joe,"  and 
whom  we  know,  stepped  up  to  Mrs.  Wells,  and  said,  "Get  in 

there,  you  black  son  of  a  b ,*'  and  struck  her  viciously 

across  the  right  hip,  when  she  ran  in  with  her  children,  the  of- 
ficers still  follomng,  striking  at  her  until  he  reached  the  top 
step,  looked  around,  and  threatened  to  strike  us  if  we  came  out 
again,  and  he  then  went  away.  Deponent  Williams  looked  out 
of  her  window  and  saw  these  officers  go  through  the  same  pro- 
cedure wherever  colored  folks  were  sitting.  Nothing  was  said 
or  done  to  any  white  people.  We  see  this  officer  every  day. 
At  about  2:15  in  the  morning  some  officers  came  through  the 
block  and  clubbed  colored  people  wherever  they  saw  them,  men 
as  well  as  women.  Deponent  Wells  lives  at  home  with  her 
mother,  and  helps  her  keep  house;  deponent  Williams  keeps  house 
for  herself  and  husband.  Deponent  Wells  is  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Transfiguration,  at  29th  Street  and  5th  Avenue, 
where  I  have  attended  for  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller,  of  West 
29th  Street,  know  of  us;  Mrs.  McGurk,  of  No.  225  West  29th 
Street,  Mrs.  Kloze,  of  223  West  29th  Street,  all  can  vouch  for 
our  character.  Carrie  Wells. 

her 
Maria  x  Williams. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September.  1900. 

Samuel  Marcus.  ISTotan'  Public.  N".  Y.  Countv. 


City  and  Countif  of  Netr  York,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Irene  Wells,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  tliat  she 
resides  at  No.  239  West  29th  Street;  that  on  Wednesday  evening, 
about  nine  o'clock  P.  M..  she  visited  a  sick  frienrl,  named  Mrs. 
Twine  (who  has  since  died),  at  No.  210  West  29th  Street,  and 


39 

while  there,  and  at  about  eleven  o'clock  p.  :\i.,  hearing  of  the 
riot,  she  rushed  out  of  said  216  West  29th  Street  to  look  for  her 
children  and  get  them  safely  at  home — she  having  five  children, 
and,  motherhke,  was  anxious  to  get  them  out  of  danger.  That 
while  gathering  her  children  together  she  noticed  six  police 
officers  on  each  side  of  the  street,  and  had  succeeded  in  getting 
her  children  up  the  stoop  and  into  the  hallway  of  her  home, 
and  was  on  the  second  step  of  her  stoop  going  upstairs,  when 
Police  Officer  1065  came  along,  and,  striking  her  across  the 
right  hip  with  his  club,  said,  "Get  in  out  of  here'/'  and  made 
several  passes  at  her,  and  pursued  her  up  two  or  three  steps  of 
the  stoop,  but  she  rushed  on  up  the  stoop,  driving  her  children 
before  her,  and  escaped  him  and  his  blows.  Deponent  further 
says  that  she  is  a  widow,  and  the  sole  support  of  her  five  chil- 
dren, by  doing  general  housework,  ironing,  and  washing,  etc., 
and  has  done  so  for  the  past  seven  years;  that  she  is  a  thoroughly 
respectable  woman,  and  is  peaceful  and  quiet  at  all  times,  and 
deems  this  assault  by  the  police  officer  aforementioned  an  out- 
rage, and  without  cause  or  provocation.  There  were  three  chil- 
dren on  the  stoop  with  her. 

Irene  Wells. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd.  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  Xeiv  York,  ss.: 

William  H.  Ross,  being  duly  sworn,  says: 

I  reside  at  175  7th  Avenue,  near  36th  Street,  Xew  York  City. 
I  had  lived  a  short  time  at  225  West  32nd  Street.  I  have  lived 
for  five  years  in  Xew  York.  I  have  been  a  messenger  for  Gen- 
eral Daniel  E.  Sickles.  At  about  eleven  o'clock  on  the  evening 
of  August  15th  deponent  was  on  his  way  to  his  rooms,  but  was 
stopped  at  Zion's  flat  and  advised  to  come  in  and  not  cross  the 
street,  as  there  was  a  riot.  I  went  in  and  went  up  two  pair  of 
stairs  until  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  slept  on  the 
stairs.  My  hour  for  going  to  work  that  morning  was  five 
o'clock,  at  the  Herald  Building,  where  I  was  working  for  Mar- 
sell,  who  attends  to  housecleaning  and  to  the  building.  Another 
man,  whose  name  I  learned  was  Hicks,  took  refuge  in  the  build- 
ing at  the  same  time.  At  about  half  past  four  o'clock  on  the 
morning  of  the  16th  we  heard  a  great  commotion  in  the  house. 

Three  policemen  rushed  upstairs;  the  first  one  said,  "You  d d 

black  son  of  a  b- .  if  you  move  I  will  shoot  you  like  a  dog!" 


40 

He  then  hit  me  ou  the  head  with  his  club,  and  cut  my  head 
open;  the  other  one  then  hit  me  on  the  head,  and  both  beat 
me  with  their  clubs  on  the  neck,  back,  shoulders,  chest,  and  ribs 
until  I  was  bloody  and  sore  and  fell  down,  when  one  of  the  of- 
ficers poked  his  pistol  in  my  face  and  said,  "You  black  son  of 

a  b ,  just  move  or  say  a  word,  and  I  will  shoot  you  like  a 

cur."  They  also  beat  Hicks  and  broke  his  nose.  People  whom 
I  did  not  know,  looking  out  of  windows,  cried  out  about  the 
brutality.     They  then  had  their  fun  with  us,  saying,  "You 

d d  niggers;  get  out  of  here."     Then  when  we  would  start 

they  would  again  grab  us,  beat  us,  and  threaten  to  shoot  us. 
I  would  know  one  of  these  policemen,  as  I  saw  him  since  on  7th 
Avenue,  and  also  in  September  at  Broadway  and  12th  Street. 
I  think  that  I  would  know  the  other  fellow.  In  taking  us  to 
court  they  swore  to  the  most  outrageous  lies,  without  any  reason 
in  fact.  They  stated  we  had  been  on  the  roof  throwing  bottles 
on  the  street.  I  had  never  been  in  the  house  in  my  life,  never 
had  been  in  a  room  and  not  above  the  second  story,  where  they 
gave  me  shelter.  The  policemen  told  other  lies — that  they  ar- 
rested me  before,  that  he  had  warned  me  before  on  the  street, 
that  he  had  arrested  me  for  fighting  a  few  days  before.  The 
judge  asked  if  they  had  any  witnesses;  they  answered  ^TTes," 
and  he  gave  them  until  three  o'clock,  when  we  were  discharged. 
I  was  never  arrested  before  in  my  life.  Two  doctor?  gave  me 
certificates  of  character,  which  I  had  in  court. 

William  H.  Ross. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Stephen  B.  Beague,  ^NTotary  Public  (125),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Robert  Myrick,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he 
resides  at  414  West  39th  Street,  and  is  employed  by  Bernard 
Brennan,  saloon  keeper  at  49th  Street  and  Broadway;  that  on 
Thursday  evening.  August  16th,  at  about  eight  p.  m.,  he  left  his 
work  at  the  said  saloon  and  walked  to  8th  Avenue  between  47th 
and  48th  Streets;  that  he  entered  a  restaurant  on  that  block, 
and  after  eating  a  meal  he  asked  the  proprietor  whether  there 
was  any  trouble  downtown  to-night.  He  replied,  "No,  it  is 
kind  of  quiet  to-night,  but  I  guess  you  had  better  take  a  car 
and  ride  down,  it  will  be  safer."  He  replied,  "I  guess  that  will 
be  the  best  way."  and  then  walked  out  onto  the  avenue  and 
boarded  a  car  bound  downtown,  and  had  gone  as  far  as  42nd 


41 

Street  when  a  mob  of  about  one  hundred  boys,  none  of  whom 
apparently  were  over  nineteen  years  of  age,  began  to  throw 
stones  at  the  car  and  yell,  "There^s  a  nigger  in  the  car;  let's  kill 
him!"  Some  woman  on  the  car  said,  "Come  over  here,  mister; 
don't  stand  there  and  get  killed."  I  went  along  the  footboard 
from  the  rear  of  the  car.  where  I  had  been,  and  got  under  the 
seat,  where  the  mob  could  not  see  me;  but  the  mob  continued 
following  the  car  and  stoned  it  until  I  reached  39th  Street, 
where  I  wanted  to  get  off,  but  was  advised  there  by  three  men 
(who  were  the  only  passengers  that  had  remained  on  the  car) 
not  to  get  off.  I  continued  on  until  the  car  reached  38th  Street, 
when  the  car  stopped  and  the  mob  caught  up  with  it.  I  then  got 
off  the  east  side  of  the  car,  and  ran  over  to  the  southeast  corner 
of  8th  Avenue,  to  where  I  saw  five  men  standing,  and  going 
up  to  one  I  said,  "Officer,  will  you  please  see  me  home?"  He 
said,  "Where  do  you  live?"  I  told  him.  He  then  said,  "What 
are  you  doing  on  the  street  at  this  time  of  night?"  I  answered, 
"Going  home  from  work."  He  then  asked  me  where  I  worked. 
I  told  him.  He  then  said.  "Have  you  got  a  gun  or  a  razor?" 
I  said  "T  have  neither."  He  then  proceeded  to  search  me,  when 
I  remembered  having  a  razor  in  a  case  in  my  outside  coat  pocket, 
and  I  told  the  officer  and  showed  him  where  it  was.  He  then 
took  the  razor  out  of  my  pocket,  and,  striking  me  across  the 

back  of  the  neck  with  his  club,  said,  "You  black  son  of  a  b 1" 

and  then  struck  me  several  times  on  the  head.  I  said  to  him, 
"I  come  over  to  you  for  protection,  and  this  is  what  I  get." 
He  then  said,  "Shut  up!"  I  was  then  taken  to  the  37th  Street 
station  house,  and  while  there  I  was  kicked  by  the  officers  in 
the  section  room,  and  by  the  doorman,  and  when  I  protested  I 
was  told  to  shut  up.  I  was  locked  in  cell  No.  13,  and  in  the 
morning  I  was  brought  to  the  54th  Street  police  court,  where 
the  judge  turned  me  loose.  While  in  my  cell  I  got  into  con- 
versation with  a  colored  man  who  is  a  porter  for  the  N.  Y.  C. 
&  H.  E.  R.,  and  he  said  that  he  was  dragged  from  a  street  car 
and  clubbed  by  police  officers.  Deponent  further  states  that  he 
had  the  aforementioned  razor  in  his  pocket  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  it  needed  repairing,  and  he  had  taken  it  to  a  barber  to 
see  if  he  could  fix  it.  and  finding  that  he  could  not  fix  it  he  was 
taking  it  to  his  home  to  lay  it  away  in  its  place.  Deponent  says 
further  that  the  time  of  the  clubbing  was  about  8:30  p.  m. 

Robert  Myeick. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  1st  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


42 

City  and  County  of  Xeio  York,  ss.: 

Solomon  Kussell  Wright,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  No.  129  West  27th  Street:  on  Thursday,  August 
16th,  1900,  about  6:30  p.  m.,  I  left  the  house  and  walked  to  the 
corner  of  7th  Avenue  and  28th  Street,  where  I  met  a  friend  of 
mine,  with  whom  I  stood  and  chatted  for  about  three  quarters 
of  an  hour,  when  I  left  and  returned  down  7th  Avenue  towards 
27th  Street,  and  had  got  within  about  one  hundred  feet  of  27th 
Street,  when  I  was  struck  by  a  missile  thrown  by  an  ItaUan  boy. 
I  naturally  turned  around  and  asked  him  what  he  had  done 
that  for.  I  passed  on,  however,  and  had  got  about  fifty 
feet  east  of  7th  Avenue,  on  27th  Street,  when  a  police  officer 
ran  after  me,  and  seizing  me  commenced  feeling  around  my 
clothes  as  if  in  search  of  something.  I  had  an  ordinary  pocket 
knife  in  the  change  pocket  of  my  coat,  and  the  officer  finding  it 
said,  "What  are  you  doing  with  this?"  I  answered,  "Do  you  see 
me  doing  anything  with  it?"  He  then  took  me  to  the  30th 
Street  station  house  (19th  Precinct),  and  w^hile  going  up  the 
steps  of  the  station  house  I  stumbled,  and  the  officer  then  hit  me 
on  the  back  of  the  neck  with  his  club.  I  was  arraigned  before  the 
sergeant,  who  took  my  pedigree,  and  at  the  close  of  that  pro- 
ceeding the  officer  who  had  me  in  charge,  and  whose  name  is 
Kennedy,  said  to  the  sergeant,  "What  will  we  do  with  this 

feller?"    The  sergeant  replied,  "Kill  the  black  son  of  a  b !" 

The  said  officer  then  brought  me  back,  and  when  we  reached  a 
flight  of  stairs  leading  down  to  the  cells  he  shoved  me  down 
the  whole  flight:  when  I  reached  the  bottom  some  other  officers 
who  were  down  there  grabbed  me  and  punched  and  beat  me  with 
their  fists.  I  was  arraigned  the  next  day  and  charged  with  car- 
rying a  knife,  and  I  was  committed  for  ninety  days.  I  served 
part  of  the  time,  when  I  was  released  on  bail.  I  was  not  intox- 
icated, and  had  never  been  arrested  before  in  my  life.  T  never 
have  and  do  not  stand  around  the  corners  of  the  neighborhood; 
and  further,  I  am  employed  by  the  Standard  Oil  Company  as 
a  porter. 

SoT.OMOX  K.  Wrtcttt. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  22nd  day  of  September,  1900. 

Oeo.  p.  Hammovd.  Jr..  Notarv  Public  (16  0.  X.  Y.  Countv. 


43 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Alfred  Bradshaw^  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  No.  210  West  27th  Street  with  my  wife  and  three 
children.  On  August  16th,  1900,  I  bought  a  revolver  on  the 
Bowery,  which  I  intended  to  take  home  in  the  evening  and  leave 
there,  as  a  protection  for  my  wife  and  children.  There  were 
numerous  riots  in  the  neighborhood  the  evening  before,  and  the 
rioters  had  broken  into  houses  at  all  times  during  the  day  and 
night,  and  I  deemed  it  necessary  for  the  protection  of  my  wife 
and  children.  I  had  been  working  at  96  Greene  Street  that  day. 
I  am  a  general  housecleaner,  and  work  in  all  parts  of  the  city. 
As  I  was  walking  home  on  7th  Avenue,  about  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  between  14th  and  15th  Streets,  I  saw  a  man  run 
up  to  a  police  officer  and  say  something  to  him.  The  officer 
then  came  up  to  me  and  said,  "You've  got  a  pistol;  you  give  it 
up.  I  will  arrest  you."  I  handed  him  the  pistol,  and  he  ar- 
rested me.  I  said  as  I  handed  it  to  him,  "I  bought  this  pistol 
to  protect  my  family  at  home.  I  heard  of  this  rioting,  and  I 
bought  this  pistol  to  protect  my  home."  He  said,  "Why 
don't  you  call  to  the  officers  for  protection?"  I  said,  "The  of- 
ficers can't  protect  my  home,  because  I  don't  know  what  time 
the  riot  might  come  in,  and  we  can't  always  find  an  officer  on 
beat.  I  heard  them  break  into  some  liouses  and  beat  people 
unmercifully."  I  was  taken  to  the  30th  Street  station  house. 
While  there  I  saw  Solomon  Wright,  who  is  at  present  in  the  Pen- 
itentiary at  Blackwell's  Island,  a  Negro,  being  clubbed  by  a 
policeman  as  he  was  being  led  from  the  sergeant's  desk  into  the 
cell.  He  was  bleeding  from  his  head,  and  his  eye  was  discol- 
ored. I  have  been  in  the  city  for  twenty  years,  and  have  never 
been  arrested  before.  I  did  not  show  this  pistol  to  anyone  after 
I  bought  it,  and  intended  to  leave  it  at  the  house,  as  a  protec- 
tion to  my  family. 

his 
Alfred  x  Bradshaw. 
mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Stephen  B.  Brague,  Notary  Public  (125),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  Neiv  York,  ss.: 

John  H.  Kellum,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  was  on  a  Broadway  car  on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  Au- 
gust 15th,  at  about  11 :30  p.  m.    I  boarded  the  car  at  the  comer 


44 

of  46tli  Street  and  Broadway,  and  had  reached  a  point  a  little 
north  of  35th  Street,  when  I  heard  a  mob  run  after  the  car 
and  commence  throwing  missiles  at  and  into  the  car.  Among 
other  missiles  was  a  little  bottle,  which  I  caught,  and  with  which 
I  kept  the  rioters  at  bay.  The  car  got  a  short  distance  ahead 
of  the  mob,  when  it  had  passed  34th  Street,  and  I  took  advan- 
tage of  that  and  jumped  from  the  car  and  ran  towards  three 
policemen  in  uniform,  and  two  who  were  in  citizens'  clothes. 
One  of  them  said  not  to  run  any  further,. and  one  of  the  men 
in  citizens'  clothes  said,  "Get  on  this  car,  and  I'll  get  on  with 
you."  I  did  so  and  rode  to  32nd  Street,  and  the  said  officer  got 
on  the  rear  platform  of  the  same  car.  I  got  off  at  32nd  Street 
and  was  not  molested  again.  Deponent  further  says  that  the 
officers  made  no  attempt  to  disperse  the  mob,  though  they  were 
in  plain  sight.  Deponent  further  says  that  he  has  lived  in  the 
19th  Precinct  for  about  eighteen  years,  and  is  well  known  to  a 
number  of  the  officers  of  that  precinct. 

J.  H.  Kellum. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  7th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jk.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 
(This  was  in  the  19th,  not  the  20th  Precinct.) 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Samuel  Isaiah  Johnson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  125  West  27th  Street,  in  the  Borough  of  Man- 
hattan, and  support  myself  by  cleaning  carpet,  chimney  sweep- 
ing, and  other  jobs  of  a  like  nature.  I  have  been  employed  by  a 
Mr.  Webb,  an  attorney  with  an  office  near  Jefferson  Market; 
a  Mr.  Davis,  proprietor  of  a  fish  market  there;  Mr.  Andrew 
Phillips,  15th  Street  and  6th  Avenue.  On  Wednesday.  August 
15th,  1900,  the  first  night  of  the  riots,  I  was  on  an  8th  Avenue 
car  bound  south.  I  had  been  up  to  see  my  brother-in-law,  Joseph 
W.  Brown,  of  No.  85  West  104th  Street.  I  had  my  banjo  with 
me.  I  left  there  shortly  after  nine.  He  was  out.  About  ten 
o'clock,  at  about  41st  Street  and  8th  Avenue,  a  crowd  jumped 
on  the  car,  grabbed  me,  and  tried  to  pull  me  out  of  tlie  car. 
T  was  under  the  seat.  They  took  my  banjo,  hat,  coat,  and  belt 
away,  and  beat  me  all  over  the  body  and  head,  so  that  T  was  un- 
able to  move.  The  car  was  at  a  standstill  while  I  was  being 
beaten,  which  lasted  from  about  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes.  An- 
other colored  man  was  being  beaten  at  the  same  time.  After 
about   twenty  minutes   of  this  a   man,   probably  a   detective. 


45 

jumped  on  the  car,  and  the  crowd  allowed  the  car  to  proceed. 
He  took  me  to  the  comer  of  27th  Street  and  7th  Avenue,  and 
asked  me  whether  I  could  get  home,  and  he  left  me.  I  pro- 
ceeded to  my  house  unmolested.  The  next  day  I  went  to  the 
hospital  at  15th  Street  and  5th  Avenue,  and  obtained  some  lin- 
iment for  my  bruises.  I  am  fifty-four  years  of  age,  small  in 
stature,  and  lame. 

his 
Samuel  x  Isaiah  Johnsox. 
mark 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  6th  day  of  September,  1900. 
Samuel  Marcus,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Thomas  Hughes  (white),  of  No.  64^6  East  13th  Street,  New 
York  City,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

On  August  15th,  1900  (the  first  day  of  the  outbreak),  about 
8:45  p.  M.,  I  was  in  36th  Street  between  7th  and  8th  Avenues. 
I  was  on  my  way  home  after  having  called  on  Rev.  Leighton 
Williams,  at  312  West  54th  Street.  There  were  quite  a  number 
of  persons  moving  about  in  the  street,  and  half  a  dozen  police- 
men moving  about.  I  noticed  a  colored  man  about  five  feet 
seven,  smooth-faced,  about  twenty-eight  or  thirty  years  old, 
standing  in  front  of  a  doorway  near  a  grocery  store.  He  wasn't 
doing  anything,  and  wasn't  talking  to  anybody.  An  officer  with 
a  heavy  reddish  mustache  rushed  across  the  street  at  him  and 
said,  "You  black  bastard,  what  are  you  doing  here?"  and  at 
the  same  instant  struck  him  over  the  head  with  his  club,  felling 
the  Negro  to  the  street.  The  Negro  bled  and  lay  unconscious. 
I  tried  to  wipe  the  blood  from  him,  and  the  officer  spoke  rough- 
ly to  me  and  ordered  me  away.  Friends  of  the  Negro  dragged 
him  into  the  hallway.  My  journey  was  down  8th  Avenue  to 
36th  Street,  and  down  7th  Avenue  to  35th  Street,  and  I  saw  a 
number  of  police  officers  strike  a  number  of  persons  with  their 
clubs.  All  whom  I  saw  struck  were  colored  persons,  and  I 
noticed  that  as  a  peculiar  fact.  I  was  accompanied  by  William 
Shea,  of  332  East  23rd  Street. 

Thomas  Hughes. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  30th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Frank  Moss,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


46 

City  and  County  of  ^ew  Yorh,  ss.: 

William  Shea,  of  332  East  23rd  Street,  being  duly  sworn, 
deposes  and  says: 

I  work  for  John  P.  Kane,  foot  of  East  14th  Street.  On  the 
first  day  of  the  riot,  August  15th,  I  was  with  Thomas  Hughes. 
I  had  been  with  him  to  see  the  Eev.  Mr.  Williams,  in  West 
54th  Street.  We  returned  through  8th  Avenue  and  went 
through  36th  Street.  In  3Gth  Street,  between  7th  and  8th  Av- 
enues, we  saw  a  colored  man  standing.  An  officer  rushed  across 
the  street  and  hit  the  colored  man  on  the  head  and  felled  him 
to  the  sidewalk.  The  colored  man  was  not  doing  anything.  The 
officer  was  a  heavy  man  with  large  red  mustache.  My  friend 
stopped  to  assist  the  man,  and  the  officer  ordered  him  away. 
Some  people  from  the  house  close  by  pulled  the  colored  man 
in.  He  was  unconscious.  I  saw  a  number  of  colored  people 
struck  by  officers.  William  Shea. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  30th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Feank  Moss,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


Statement  of  Paul  Leitenberger  and  Alfred  E.  Borman 
(white),  of  105  East  22nd  Street: 

On  August  15th  we  were  on  28th  Street,  and  were  going 
home,  walking  up  7th  Avenue,  and  at  29th  Street  a  crowd  was 
coming  down  about  ten  p.  M.  We  followed  the  crowd  up  35th 
Street,  and  it  went  into  the  Dore  (a  dive),  and  yelled,  "Give  us 
a  coon  and  we'll  Ijnch  him!''  They  then  went  to  Corbett's  on 
Broadway.  He  has  a  colored  man  working  for  him.  Then  the 
police  came  with  their  clubs  and  dispersed  the  crowd,  which 
went  up  Broadway.  A  cable  car  was  coming  downtown,  and  some 
on^  cried,  "There's  a  nigger;  lynch  him!"  and  several  white  men 
jumped  on  the  car.  A  colored  man  was  standing  in  the  car, 
and  with  a  cane  or  umbrella  warded  off  the  blows.  The  car 
went  on  with  him;  the  gripman  would  not  stop  it,  though  they 
called  on  him  to  stop.  Some  of  the  men  were  thrown  off  of  the 
car  and  nearly  run  over.  There  was  a  Negro  on  the  second  car 
behind  that,  and  the  crowd  pulled  him  off,  and  the  man  es- 
caped by  running  into  the  Marlborough  Hotel,  where  he  was 
sheltered.  There  wore  no  policemen  present  at  these  times,  but 
some  policemen  appeared  and  the  mob  moved  up  Broadway  to 
about  41st  Street,  and  tried  to  get  into  the  Vendome  Hotel. 
Some  got  in,  and  one  cried  out,  "Give  us  the  coon!"  The  police 
coming  up,  they  moved  on  and  went  up  as  far  as  the  Hotel 


47 

Cadillac  at  43rd  Street,  and  went  in  to  get  the  colored  hall 
man,  and  an  officer  came  up  and  clubbed  right  and  left.  Other 
officers  came  and  the  crowd  scattered.  We  waited  a  half  hour, 
and  the  police  kept  the  people  moving.  We  w^alked  through 
42nd  Street  to  8th  Avenue,  and  saw  more  of  the  rioters,  and  sev- 
eral policemen  would  not  allow  them  to  make  any  disturbance, 
and  the  rioters  spread,  breaking  up.  The  whole  aim  of  the  riot- 
ers was  to  catch  Negroes.  We  saw  Devery  the  first  night.  We 
didn't  see  him  the  second  night.  He  was  in  command.  We 
observed  the  first  night  that  the  police  generally  made  no  ef- 
fort to  disperse  the  crowds,  but  ran  along  with  them.  The  only 
places  where  they  attacked  the  crowds  were  at  Corbett's  and 
the  Cadillac.  The  disturbing  element  were  young  fellows,  such 
as  frequent  "Hell's  Kitchen."  We  talked  with  a  ringleader  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  28th  Street  and  8th  Avenue,  a  few  nights 
after.  He  said  he  had  been  a  leader  in  the  riots  and  would  do 
it  again — that  the  "niggers"  must  be  treated  the  same  as  down 
South.  At  the  Cadillac  there  was  an  officer  who  did  splendid 
work  in  dispersing  the  crowd.  For  a  while  he  was  alone,  and  he 
clubbed  the  crowd  indiscriminately;  in  a  little  while  two  other 
officers  came  and  helped  him,  and  those  three  men  ejected  the 
mob  from  the  hotel,  and  when  they  were  in  the  street  other 
officers  appeared  and  effectually  dispersed  the  crowd.  This 
showed  what  could  be  done  when  they  wanted  to.  They  pro- 
tected the  hotel  in  good  shape,  also  Corbetfs,  when  the  mob 
tried  to  get  in.  Paul  Leitenberger. 

Alfred  E.  Borman. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  13th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Frank  Moss,  Notary  Pubhc,  N.  Y.  County. 


Statement  of  Frank   H.   Bertholf   (white),   463   West   44th 
Street: 

On  the  evening,  of  August  16th,  1900,  I  saw  several  Negroes 
kicked  and  cuffed  unnecessarily.  Not  a  white  man  was  touched. 
All  happened  in  five  or  ten  minutes.  Not  many  Negroes  ap- 
peared, but  when  one  came  in  sight  he  was  pounced  upon  by 
the  crowd,  and  the  policemen  made  no  effort  to  take  care  of 
them,  and  when  they  got  hold  of  them  they  treated  them 
roughly.  I  saw  two  Negroes  struck  by  rioters  while  in  the  hands 
of  officers,  and  the  officers  made  no  effort  to  protect  them.  I 
saw  an  officer  aim  a  very  vicious  blow  with  his  club  at  a  colored 
man;  it  seemed  it  would  kill  him,  but  the  Negro  dodged. 
1^  Frank  H.  Bertholf. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Miss  Alice  Lee,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  433  West  36th  Street  (in  the  rear  of  the  37th  Street 
station  house).  On  the  night  of  Wednesday,  August  15th,  1900, 
also  Thursday,  the  16th,  I  heard  people  screaming  and  groan- 
ing, and  shouts  of  people  pleading  not  to  be  clubbed  any  more. 
I  saw  one  man  lying  on  the  station  house  floor,  apparently  al- 
most helpless.  One  man  who  was  pleading  seemed  to  be  be- 
tween the  main  building  and  the  out  building  where  the  cells 
are  located.  An  officer  who  was  on  one  of  the  upper  floors 
leaned  out  of  the  window  and  threw  a  bottle  down  at  the  said 
man,  saying,  "Kill  the  black  son  of  a  b !"  Deponent  fur- 
ther declared  that  it  was  impossible  to  sleep  during  both  of  the 
aforesaid  nights  on  account  of  the  heartrending  shrieks  and 
groans  coming  from  the  station  house;  and  further,  that  she 
saw  a  number  of  colored  men  lying  up  in  a  corner  of  the 
station  house. 

Alice  Lee. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  20th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  N'otarv^  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Cynthia  Eandolph,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  433  West  36th  Street,  New  York  City,  Manhattan 
Borough.  My  home  is  directly  in  the  rear  of  the  37th  Street 
station  house.  On  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  August  15th, 
1900,  and  the  evening  of  August  16th,  1900,  I  heard  cries  and 
shrieks  of  people  being  beaten,  coming  from  the  37th  Street 
station  house — such  groans  as,  "0  Lord!  0  Lord!  don't  hit  me! 
don't  hit  me!"  spoken  in  pleading  tones.  This  continued  all  of 
Wednesday  night,  with  such  frequency,  and  was  so  heartrending, 
as  to  make  it  impossible  to  sleep.  It  was  not  quite  so  bad 
Thursday  evening.  Deponent  states  further  that  it  is  a  com- 
mon thing  to  hear  coming  from  the  37th  Street  station  house 
cries  of  people,  as  if  they  were  being  beaten,  except  since  last 
Labor  Day;  since  which  day  it  has  been  exceptionally  quiet. 

Cynthia  Randolph. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  15th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notarv  Public  (164),  N".  Y.  County. 


49 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Florence  Eandolph,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  117  West  134th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
loth,  1900,  I  resided  at  433  West  36th  Street.  On  the  said 
loth  of  August  I  was  ill  in  bed,  and  while  I  lay  in  bed 
I  heard  at  different  intervals  during  the  night,  and  until 
about  three  or  half  past  three  the  next  morning,  the  screams 
and  shouts  as  of  persons  in  agony,  and  cries  of  "Wliy  are 
you  hitting  me?  I  haven^t  done  anything  I"  Deponent  states 
that  these  cries  and  screams  came  from  the  37th  Street  station 
house,  the  rear  of  which  abuts  on  the  rear  of  the  house  in 
which  deponent  then  resided.  Deponent  states  further  that  her 
husband  was  unable  to  reach  his  home  for  four  nights  on  ac- 
count of  the  disorder  in  that  neighborhood.  Further,  that  her 
husband  works  at  43rd  Street  and  5th  Avenue. 

Florence  Eaxdolph. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  12th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd,  Je.,  Xotary  Pubhc  (164),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Susie  White,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  444  7th  Avenue,  ^New  York  City.  On  Sunday 
morning,  August  12th,  1900,  about  six  a.  m.,  two  officers  in  full 
uniform  came  upstairs  and,  pushing  the  door  of  my  room  open, 
said,  "Did  not  a  man  come  up  here  just  now?"  I  answered, 
"Yes."  The  officer  then  said,  "Where  is  he?  Bring  him  out." 
I  then  started  to  call  the  man,  but  before  I  got  to  the  room  the 
officer  had  preceded  me,  and  he  called  the  man  out  (his  name 
is  Joe  Netherland)  and  took  hold  of  him,  and  rubbing  his  hand 
over  his  head  said,  "Got  a  scar?"  Netherland  said,  "Xo.  Who 
are  you  looking  for — the  man  that  cut  the  officer?"  The  of- 
ficer said,  "Yes.  We're  going  to  make  it  hot  for  you  niggers!" 
After  making  a  further  examination  they  found  two  more  men, 
and  after  making  a  close  examination  of  them  they  found  that 
they  were  not  the  men  they  wanted.  After  threatening  to  do 
up  all  the  "niggers"  for  killing  Officer  Thorpe  they  left. 

SusrE  White. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  10th  dav  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jh.,  Xotar>-  Public  (164),  X.  Y.  County. 
4 


50 

City  and  County  of  New  Yorl-,  ss.: 
John  Hains,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  No.  341  West  olith  Street.  I  am  a  laborer,  and  am 
at  present  employed  as  a  longshoreman  at  Pier  16,  North  River. 
On  the  evening  of  August  15th,  1900,  I  went  to  bed  as  usual 
at  9:30  o'clock.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  was  awak- 
ened by  somebody  beating  me  on  the  back  with  a  club.  When 
I  awoke  I  found  six  policemen  in  the  room;  they  had  broken 
in  the  door.  They  asked  me  for  the  revolver  with  which  they 
said  I  had  been  shooting  out  of  the  window.  I  told  them  I  did 
not  have  a  revolver.  One  of  the  officers  said  that  he  had  seen 
me  shoot  out  of  the  window.  Three  officers  then  began  to  club 
nie,  while  the  other  three  were  searching  the  house.  They  found 
an  old  toy  revolver,  which  was  broken  and  not  loaded,  and 
could  not  shoot  if  it  had  been  loaded,  and  said  that  that 
was  the  pistol  I  had  used.  I  denied  that,  which  was 
the  truth.  They  dragged  me  out  of  the  house,  and  proceeded 
to  take  me  to  the  station  house.  I  was  only  in  my  undershirt, 
being  asleep  at  the  time  they  broke  into  the  house,  and  begged 
them  to  allow  me  to  put  on  my  trousers  and  my  shoes.  They 
only  sneered  at  this,  and  one  of  the  officers  said,  ^^You'll  be 

d d  lucky  if  you  get  there  alive."     Here  another  of  the 

officers  pulled  out  a  revolver  and  said,  "Let's  shoot  the  d d 

nigger,"  to  which  a  third  officer  replied,  *^We  can  take  the  black 

son  of  a  b to  the  station  house  as  he  is."    When  I  got  to  the 

station  house  I  was  bleeding  from  my  head  and  other  parts  of 
my  body,  as  a  result  of  these  clubbings.  There  were  only  two 
other  persons  in  our  apartments  that  evening — William  Sey- 
mour, from  whom  I  rent  my  apartments,  and  Walter  Gresfory. 
When  they  saw  the  officers  running  into  the  house,  acting  as 
they  did,  they  ran  out  of  the  house,  leaving  me  asleep.  They 
did  not  shoot  out  of  the  window,  and  we  never  kept  any  weapons 
in  the  house.  Mrs.  Tjucy  Jones,  who  lives  next  door  to  us,  saw 
the  officers  boat  mo.  She  was  in  the  house  during  all  this  time, 
and  saw  no  firing  from  our  windows.  Her  affidavit  is  hereto 
annexed.  When  I  arrived  at  the  station  house,  after  the  entry 
had  been  made  on  the  blotter,  I  was  placed  in  a  cell.  Before 
this  I  was  struck  by  one  of  the  officers  in  the  station  house  in 
front  of  the  sergeant's  desk,  and  in  his  presence,  without  any  in- 
terference on  his  part.  After  I  was  placed  in  tlie  cell  somebody 
(I  believe  the  police  surgeon)  bandaged  my  head.  The  next 
morning  the  police  loaned  me  a  pair  of  old  trousers,  so  that  T 
could  be  taken  to  the  Police  Court.     Officer  Ohm,  one  of  the 


61 

officers  who  struck  me  and  abused  me,  as  aforesaid,  made  the 
charge  against  me;  he  charged  me  with  firing  a  pistol  through 
the  window.  I  was  brought  before  the  magistrate  and  he  asked 
me  if  this  was  so.  I  told  him  it  was  not,  and  endeavored  to 
explain  matters  to  him,  but  he  would  not  listen  to  me  and  sent 
me  to  the  Penitentiary  for  six  months.  There  were  a  great  many 
similar  cases  before  him  that  day,  and  he  was  very  impatient. 
I  did  not  have  a  lawyer  to  represent  me,  and  I  was  given  no 
opportunity  to  deny  the  false  charges  of  the  officer.  While  I 
was  being  taken  to  the  station  house  one  of  the  officers  said  to 
another  officer  who  was  clubbing  me,  "Club  as  hard  as  you  can; 

this  is  a  d d  hard  head."    Another  said,  "I  will  teach  you 

d d  niggers  to  club  white  people.    We  will  kill  half  of  you." 

I  have  the  sheet  which  was  on  the  bed  on  the  night  in  question. 
It  is  full  of  blood  stains.  I  had  six  stitches  put  into  my  head  by 
a  surgeon  at  the  building  in  which  the  Magistrates'  Court  is 
located  on  54th  Street.  This  was  before  I  was  taken  to  Black- 
well's  Island.  After  I  had  been  there  ten  days  I  was  released. 
I  do  not  know  the  reason  why.  Sentenced  August  16th,  released 
August  25th,  about  eight  a.  m.  The  only  one  of  the  officers  I 
could  recognize  is  Officer  Ohm,  who  made  the  formal  complaint 
in  the  Magistrates'  Court.  I  was  almost  beaten  into  insensibility 
that  night,  and  all  of  the  officers  were  in  uniform.  Last  summer 
I  was  employed  for  the  season  as  a  butler  by  General  0.  0.  How- 
ard, at  his  summer  home  in  Burlington,  Vermont,  and  I  have 
a  recommendation  from  him.  I  am  not  a  drinking  man,  and 
never  was.  arrested  before  in  my  life. 

John  Hains. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,   Notarv-  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Walter  Gregory,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  107  Prince  Street,  Brooklyn.  On  August  15th, 
1900, 1  was  boarding  with  Mr.  Seymour  at  341  West  36th  Street. 
John  Hains,  Mr.  Seymour,  and  myself  were  sitting  together  at 
our  home  until  about  nine  o'clock  that  evening,  when  Hains 
went  to  bed.  Mr.  Seymour  and  I  were  up  until  about  one  o'clock, 
when  we  went  to  bed.  In  the  early  part  of  the  evening  there 
was  a  lot  of  shouting  going  on  in  36th  Street,  but  I  heard  no 
shooting.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  were  awakened 
by  shooting  in  front  of  the  house.     Seymour  and  I  walked  to 


52 

the  window  and  looked  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  I  did 
not  see  any  colored  people  on  the  street  at  that  lime,  and  the 
shooting  was  evidently  done  by  white  people.  Just  then  I 
heard  somebody  break  open  the  front  door  of  the  house.  There 
were  several  people;  they  were  talking  in  a  noisy  manner,  but  I 
could  not  hear  what  they  said.  As  they  reached  our  door  some 
one  rapped  on  it,  and  said,  "Open  the  door."  I  said,  "I  can't.'' 
Mr.  Seymour  and  I  hurriedly  ran  to  the  fire  escape  undressed. 
As  we  did  so  we  passed  Hains,  who  was  fast  asleep.  I  shook  him 
and  said,  "A  big  crowd  is  coming  in  the  house."  I  do  not  think 
he  heard  what  I  said,  and  he  fell  asleep  again.  Se3'mour  and  I 
went  down  the  fire  escape  and  into  the  yard  at  339,  where  we 
remained  until  matters  had  quieted  down  a  little.  I  could  hear 
Hains  say  repeatedly,  "Don't  kill  me!"  The  people  in  the  houses 
were  screaming.  About  three  or  four  o'clock,  when  things  were 
quiet  again,  we  went  back  to  our  room.  The  bed  in  which 
Hains  slept  was  all  bloody.  Mrs.  Jones,  who  lived  next  door, 
and  whose  affidavit  is  hereto  annexed,  then  told  me  what  had 
happened — precisely  the  same  as  in  her  affidavit  hereto  an- 
nexed. I  did  not  know  that  the  people  who  broke  into  the 
house  were  policemen.  I  thought  they  were  the  rioters.  The 
pistol  found  in  the  apartments  was  an  old  broken  toy  pistol,  and 
could  not  shoot.  "We  never  had  a  razor  or  a  pistol  in  the  house. 
While  the  shooting  was  going  on  Hains  was  fast  asleep,  and  there 
was  no  shooting  from  our  windows.  I  am  employed  at  present 
on  the  steamer  Slmmecoclc,  of  the  Montauk  Steamboat  Com- 
pany, as  second  pantryman.  I  have  never  been  arrested  in  my 
life.  Since  this  riot  we  have  not  lived  at  341  West  36th  Street, 
our  home  having  been  broken  up  by  it. 

Walter  Gregory. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  Gth  day  of  September,  1900. 

Samuel  Marcus,  Xotary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


Ciiy  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

William  H.  Seymour,  of  70  Vanderbilt  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  be- 
ing duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  am  employed  at  Pier  16,  E.  R.  I  resided  at  341  West  36th 
Street,  New  York  City,  from  September,  1899,  until  August 
16th,  1900.  At  no  time  during  the  period  above  mentioned 
were  there  any  firearms  in  the  house  other  than  an  old  broken 
revolver  which  was  in  two  pieces,  having  no  cartridges  and  be- 
ing entirely  useless.     Deponent  further  states  that  he  saw  the 


53 

sheet  of  bed  upon  which  John  Hains  was  lying  and  found  same 
to  be  stained  with  blood.  This  was  about  4:30  on  the  morning 
of  August  16th,  1900. 

Wm.  H.  Seymour. 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  6th  day  of  September,  1900. 


€ify  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Lucy  A.  Jones,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  341  West  36th  Street,  on  the  fourth  floor  front, 
west  side.  John  Hains  resides  on  the  same  floor  on  the  east 
side.  I  have  read  his  affidavit,  which  is  hereto  annexed,  and  so 
far  as  it  relates  to  the  occurrences  at  said  address  on  the  evening 
of  August  loth  it  is  true.  I. had  only  returned  to  the  city  at 
six  o'clock  that  evening,  having  been  in  the  country  for  two 
months.  I  had  been  in  the  house,  looking  out  of  the  window 
•occasionally.  I  saw  shooting  in  the  street,  but  this  was  all  done 
by  white  people.  There  were  no  colored  people  on  the  street. 
This  shooting  was  done  mostly  by  white  people  living  at  342 
West  36th  Street,  which  is  a  tenement,  and  is  occupied  by  a 
very  low  class  of  rowdies,  who  have  constantly  abused  and  in- 
sulted the  colored  residents  of  the  block.  The  police  officers 
constantly  go  in  and  out  of  this  house.  On  the  night  in  ques- 
tion I  saw  a  great  many  police  officers  enter  this  house  and  talk 
with  its  occupants.     They  were  shouting  and  using  abusive 

language,  and  saying,  "Kill  every  d d  one  of  the  niggers!" 

■^^Sct  the  house  afire!"  etc.,  etc.  About  two  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing I  heard  somebody  at  the  door  of  Mr.  Seymour's  flat  next 
■door,  saying,  "G —  d —  you;  open  this  door,  or  I'll  kill  every 

d d  nigger  in  the  house."  Mr.  Hains,  who  was  the  only  one 

in  the  house  just  then,  was  asleep,  and  he  did  not  open  the  door. 
They  broke  the  door  open,  and  I  saw  them  club  Hains  and  ac- 
cuse him  of  firing  a  pistol  out  of  the  window.  He  denied  this. 
Then  three  of  the  officers  beat  him,  while  the  other  three  were 
searching  the  house.  They  did  not  find  any  pistol  there,  so 
they  came  into  my  apartments,  and  one  of  them  said  to  me, 

■^'You  G —  d —  black  son  of  a  b ,  you  know  a  lot  about  this 

d d  shooting,  and  if  you  don't  tell  me  I'll  blow  the  brains  out 

of  you."  I  told  them  that  they  could  look  through  my  flat, 
which  they  did,  but  did  not  find  anything.  Then  they  went 
back  to  the  Seymour  flat,  and  I  heard  one  of  the  officers  say, 

''Tve  got  the  revolver;  let's  kill  the  G —  d —  son  of  a  b ." 

and  began  to  club  him  in  the  head  and  other  parts  of  his  body 


54 

unmercifully.  He  begged  them  to  allow  him  to  put  on  his 
clothes^  but  the  one  who  had  the  revolver  said,  "Shoot  the 

d d  nigger/^  and  he  was  led  to  the  station  house  only  in  his 

undershirt.  Another  officer  said,  "You  will  be  glad  if  you  get 
there  alive.''  At  one  time  during  this  fracas  I  attempted  to 
look  into  the  Seymour  flat  to  see  what  was  going  on,  but  one  of 

the  officers  said  to  me,  "You  G —  d —  black  b ,  get  back 

where  you  belong,  or  FU  club  the  brains  out  of  you."  After  they 
left  I  went  into  the  room,  and  I  found  the  pillows  and  sheet  on 
the  bed  full  of  blood  stains.     The  people  in  342  inspired  the 

policemen,  telling  them  to  "Burn  the  house!"  "L3mch  the  d d 

niggers!"  etc.,  etc.  I  am  a  widow.  My  daughter,  who  is  about 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  saw  this  clubbing,  and  heard  the  police 
use  this  vile  and  abusive  language.  After  they  had  arrested 
Hains  I  looked  out  of  my  window  to  see  how  he  was  being  led 
by  the  officers.     One  of  the  rowdies  in  342  said,  "Look  at  the 

d d  nigger  wench  looking  out  of  the  window.     Shoot  her! 

Shoot  her!" 

Lucy  A.  Joxeb. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Stephen  B.  Brague,  Notary  Public  (125),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Louisa  Francis,  341  West  36th  Street,  being  duly  sworn, 
deposes  and  saj^s: 

I  have  been  housekeeper  .of  the  said  341  West  36th  Street 
for  the  past  eleven  years.  On  Thursday,  August  16th,  1900, 
at  two  o'clock  A.  M.,  I  heard  a  number  of  pistol  shots  in  the 
street  near  my  home,  and  heard  shouts  of  "Go  into  341,  break  in 

the  doors,  kill  the  black  sons  of  b s" — all  the  said  shouts 

apparently  coming  from  the  direction  of  342  across  the  street. 
Almost  immediately  thereafter  the  doors  were  broken  in,  the 
glass  in  said  doors  being  smashed,  and  about  seven  police  officers 
rushed  into   the  house  and  commenced   shooting  and  yelling, 

"Kill  the  black  sons  of  b s!"    "Put  your  heads  in  there,  or 

we'll  blow  them  off!"  They  went  to  the  fourth  floor,  where  John 
Hains  lived,  and  dragged  him  out  by  the  shoulders,  his  feet 
dragging,  and  in  that  condition  he  was  dragged  out  into  the 
street.  I  washed  up  the  blood  down  from  the  fourth  floor  down 
the  staircase  to  and  on  each  and  every  landing  and  including  the 
vestibule.  The  officers,  after  staying  some  time  in  the  house, 
and  ordorina*  Mrs.   I'reemau.  ^frs.  Mason,  and  Mrs.  Jones  to 


56 

open  their  doors,  and  after  searching  the  same,  crossed  over  the 
roof  to  339  and  went  through  that  house. 

Mks.  Louisa  Fkancis. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Josephine  Bullock,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  351  West  36th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August  15th, 
1900,  about  9:30  o'clock  p.  m.,  I  saw  a  crowd  chase  a  colored 
man  and  beat  him,  on  the  corner  of  9th  Avenue  and  36th  Street. 
The  said  man  succeeded  in  breaking  away  from  the  mob,  and 
ran  towards  my  house.  When  he  reached  the  stoop  some  of  the 
male  tenants  who  were  seated  on  the  stoop  told  him  to  come  in 
there,  adding  that  "if  they  kill  one  they  might  as  well  kill  all 
of  them."  All  during  the  evening  the  rioting  continued,  and 
from  the  rear  of  the  house  I  heard  screams  and  groans  coming 
from  the  houses  facing  on  37th  Street.  About  two  o'clock  a.  m. 
I  heard  shooting  in  the  street,  and  in  a  short  while  after  I  saw 
two  poHce  officers  dragging  a  colored  man  from  341  West  36th 
Street,  who  had  on  no  clothing  except  a  gauze  undershirt.  The 
officers  were  clubbing  the  colored  man,  and  the  man  was  beg- 
ging them  not  to  club  him,  as  he  had  done  nothing.  The  only 
answer  he  got  was  more  blows  and  a  reply  from  one  of  the 

officers  as  follows:  "Shut  up,  you  black  son  of  a  b ,  or  Pll 

kill  you."  Deponent  states  further  that  she  got  no  sleep  that 
night,  as  the  screaming  and  rioting  continued  until  about  half 
past  two  or  three  a.  m.,  when  a  violent  storm  came  up,  and  the 
noise  subsided  somewhat. 

her 

Josephine  x  Bullock. 

mark 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  10th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Maggie  Zeh,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  351  West  36th  Street.     On  Wednesday,  August 

15th,  1900,  I  saw  a  colored  man  trying  to  get  away  from  the 

mob,  who  were  beating  him.    He  tried  to  get  into  No.  360,  but 

could  not.     I  then  saw  the  officers  who  had  been  standing  on 


56 

the  corner  of  9tli  Avenue  and  36tii  Street  run  towards  this  man 
and  immediately  commenced  clubbing  him.  They  clubbed  him 
so  unmercifully  that  the  man  cried  out,  "For  God's  sake  kill 
me  and  be  done  with  it;  don't  beat  me  in  this  manner,"  and  the 
last  I  saw  of  him  they  were  taking  him  around  into  9  th  Avenue 
towards  the  station  house.  I  also  saw  a  mob  coming  from  9th 
Avenue,  with  about  ten  or  twelve  officers  in  uniform  in  the  lead. 
The  officers  were  shooting  up  towards  the  houses  on  the  north 
side  of  the  street.  Deponent  declares  that  she  heard  no  shoot- 
ing until  the  officers  came  into  sight  and  commenced  to  shoot 
at  the  houses.  Deponent  further  states  that  between  eleven  or 
twelve  o'clock  she  saw  a  colored  man  and  a  woman  come  from 
a  house  on  the  west  side  of  9th  Avenue.  Before  this  couple 
reached  9th  Avenue  she  noticed  two  policemen,  who  had  been 
standing  on  the  southeast  corner  of  9th  Avenue  and  36th  Street, 
enter  the  saloon  on  that  corner.  When  the  couple  had  passed 
the  saloon  some  men  who  were  in  citizens'  clothes  ran  into  the 
saloon,  and  immediately  came  out  again  with  the  aforemen- 
tioned officers,  and  pointed  to  the  couple  going  up  the  street, 
and  said  something  to  the  officers.  The  officers  then  followed 
the  said  couple  up  the  street  to  8th  Avenue,  where  I  lost  sight 
of  them  for  about  two  minutes.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time 
I  looked  towards  8th  Avenue  and  I  saw  the  same  policemen  turn- 
ing the  corner,  having  in  custody  the  aforementioned  couple, 
and  when  they  reached  the  front  of  my  house  I  saw  that  the 
man  was  bleeding  and  was  handcuffed.  The  woman  attempted  to 
speak,  when  she  was  ordered  with  an  oath  to  "shut  up."  While 
the  officers  who  were  previously  mentioned  as  doing  the  shoot- 
ing in  36th  Street,  the  officer  who  was  apparently  in  command 
and  who  wore  a  cap,  and  had  all  the  appearance  of  either  a  ser- 
geant or  a  captain,  shouted,  "Get  your  heads  in  out  of  there  if 
you  value  your  lives."  Deponent  further  states  that  she  has 
read  the  affidavit  of  Josephine  Bullock,  which  affidavit  is  hereto 
attached,  and  she  knows  of  her  own  knowledge  that  matters 
therein  stated  are  true. 

Mrs.  Maggie  Zeh. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  10th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Richard  A.  Taylor,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  339  West  36th  Street;  that  on  Wednesday,  August 


57 

15th,  1900,  I  left  my  home  at  about  12:15  p.  M.  to  go  to  my 
work,  as  Pullman  porter  on  West  Shore  E.  E.;  that  when  I  left 
my  home  I  left  on  the  shelf  in  the  closet  in  the  front  room  of 
my  suite  between  sixty  and  seventy  dollars  in  bills,  which  money 
I  Avas  saving  to  pay  my  tuition  in  college  next  winter;  further, 
my  wdfe  did  not  know  that  the  money  w^as  there;  that  on  my 
return  Saturday,  August  18th,  1900,  between  five  and  six  p.  M., 
I  was  told  by  my  wife  of  a  visit  of  police  officers,  about  eight 
in  number,  each  of  whom  had  a  revolver  in  his  hand,  and  who 
wanted  to  know  if  there  was  a  man  in  the  rooms.  They  were 
told  that  there  was,  and  were  shown  Floyd  Wallace,  whom  they 
took  out  with  them.  They  also  asked  for  any  firearms,  and  when 
told  that  there  w^ere  none  demanded  that  a  light  be  made  so 
that  they  con  Id  search.  AYhile  the  light  was  being  brought 
some  of  the  officers  went  into  the  front  room  and  forced  open 
the  closet.  After  they  were  gone  my  wife  remembered  having 
left  her  pocketbook  in  a  small  satchel  on  the  floor.  She  im- 
mediately ran  to  the  front  room,  and  opening  the  satchel  found 
that  all  the  money  had  been  taken  from  her  pocketbook  except 
some  silver.  Deponent  on  hearing  of  this  im^mediately  went  to 
look  for  his  money  and  found  it  gone. 

ElCHAED  A.  TaYLOK. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  6th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Kotary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  YorTc,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Margaret  Taylor,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  339  Wek  36th  Street.  On  Thursday,  August  16th, 
1900,  about  two  a.  m.,  while  lying  on  a  lounge  in  the  front 
room  of  my  house,  I  was  aroused  by  hearing  a  shot  fired,  fol- 
lowed by  several  others.  I  went  to  the  window,  when  some  one 
in  the  street  shouted  with  a  curse,  "Get  your  head  in  there  or 
ril  shoot  it  off.''  I  withdrew  my  head,  and  then  realized  that 
some  of  the  shots  had  entered  my  windows.  One  imbedded  it- 
self in  the  ceiling,  and  another  passed  through  a  glass  door 
leading  into  an  inner  room,  and  occupied  by  a  lodger  named 
Floyd  Wallace.  I  awoke  the  said  Wallace,  and  told  him  that 
some  one  was  firing  into  the  windows.  Shortly  after  I  heard 
sounds  as  of  a  number  of  people  coming  down  the  stairs  from 
the  roof,  past  my  door,  and  stopping  on  the  floor  below  me.  In 
a  very  short  while  they  returned,  and  without  asking  to  be  let 
in  broke  open  my  door,  and  then  I  saw  that  they  were  police 


58 

officers  in  full  uniform,  six  in  number.  They  asked  me  if  I 
knew  who  fired  the  shots.  I  said  I  did  not  know.  They  then 
told  me  I  lied.  Then  they  asked  me  if  there  were  any  guns  in 
the  house,  and  I  answered  no;  whereupon  I  was  again  told  that 
I  Ued.  I  then  said,  "All  right,  go  ahead  and  search  for  them," 
which  they  proceeded  to  do.  They  went  from  room  to  room, 
and  broke  into  a  closet  in  the  front  room,  which  contained  my 
husband's  and  my  own  clothes;  they  then  opened  a  small  satchel 
in  which  was  my  pocketbook.  In  the  said  pocketbook  I  had  six 
dollars  in  bills  and  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents  in  silver. 
While  part  of  the  men  were  making  the  search  the  others  seized 
the  aforesaid  Wallace  and  took  him  out  into  the  hallway,  where 
deponent  has  been  told  they  clubbed  the  said  Wallace  on  the 
wrist  and  face.  When  he  came  in,  after  the  ofiicers  left,  de- 
ponent saw  that  his  face  and  cheek  were  bruised  and  his  wrist 
swollen.  Deponent  declares  it  to  be  her  belief  that  the  bullets 
which  were  shot  into  her  room  (one  of  which  she  has)  could 
not  have  been  fired  from  the  street,  but  must  have  come  from 
the  houses .  opposite.  Further,  that  when  the  officers  left  she 
remembered  having  left  her  pocketbook  in  the  afortsaid  satchel, 
and  immediately  ran  into  the  front  room  to  see  if  it  was  safe; 
she  found  that  the  six  dollars  in  bills  was  gone,  and  declares 
it  to  be  her  belief  that  the  game  was  taken  by  the  three  officers 
who  were  in  the  room  making  the  search.  Deponent  further 
states  that  when  her  husband  returned  on  the  following  Satur- 
day she  told  iiim  of  the  visit  of  the  police  officers.  He  then 
searched  in  the  closet  for  some  mone}',  amounting  to  about  sixty 
dollars,  which  he  stated  to  have  left  there  without  my  knowl- 
edge, and  could  not  find  it.  Deponent  declares  it  to  be  her  be- 
lief that  this  money  was  also  taken  by  the  police  officers  afore- 
mentioned. Deponent  further  declares  that  there  were  no  shots 
fired  from  her  apartments,  and  that  no  one  therein  had  a  fire- 
arm of  any  sort. 

Maggie  Taylor. 

« 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  7th  day  of  September,  1900. 

CtEO.  p.  Hammoxd,  Jr.,  Notarl^  Public  (164).  N.  Y.  County. 


Cify  and  Count j/  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Flovd  Wallace,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
T  live  at  339  West  36th  Street.     On  Thursday.  August  16th, 
1000,  at  about  2:30  a.  m.,  I  was  awakened  by  Mrs.  Taylor,  who 
said  that  thev  were  sliooting  in  the  windows.     T  immediately 


59 

arose  and  dressed^,  and  went  into  the  kitchen.  I  heard  some  one 
screaming,  ^'Don't  hit  me  like  that!"  and  crying  as  if  being  beat- 
en. A  short  wliile  after  I  heard  some  one  coming  over  the  roof 
from  the  house  next  door  (Xo.  341),  and  when  they  reached  our 
door  they  '\\ithout  any  ceremony,  and  without  asking  to  be  let  in, 
broke  in  the  door.  I  then  saw  that  they  were  police  officers  in 
full  uniform.  They  then  asked  if  there  was  any  man  in  the 
house,  and  was  told  there  was;  upon  hearing  which  I  stepped  to 
the  kitchen  door  and  was  immediately  seized  upon  and  taken 
out  into  the  hallway  by  two  of  the  officers.  They  started  down- 
stairs with  me,  when  one  of  the  officers  said,  "Wait  a  minute," 
and  without  first  telling  me  to  stop  they  struck  me  over  the  arm 
and  on  the  wrist.  The  rest  of  the  officers  then  searched  through 
the  rooms,  and  while  they  were  engaged  one  of  the  officers  who 
was  with  me,  without  saying  a  word,  jabbed  his  stick  in  my 
face,  just  missing  my  eye,  and  striking  me  on  the  cheek  bone, 
under  the  eye,  making  a  painful  bruise.  I  was  perfectly 
sober,  and  was  sleeping  in  bed  from  about  11:30  p.  :m:.  till  within 
about  five  minutes  of  the  time  of  the  visit  of  the  police.  I 
made  no  resistance,  said  nothing  to  them,  and  showed  by  my 
actions  a  willingness  to  do  as  they  wished  me  to.  After  the 
officers  had  finished  their  search  they  turned  me  loose. 

Floyd  Wallace. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  7th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,  Xotar\-  Public  (164),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

Lloyd  Lee,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  200  Wesf  37th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900.  about  ten  o'clock  p.  m.,  I  was  up  about  West  41st 
Street  near  7  th  Avenue,  when  I  saw  considerable  rioting  going 
on,  and  immediately  made  an  attempt  to  get  to  my  home,  go- 
ing to  8th  Avenue,  thence  to  38th  Street,  and  thence  to  7th 
Avenue,  and  had  got  to  within  thirty  yards  of  my  home  when 
I  heard  footsteps  in  the  gravel  behind  me;  I  turned  around  and 
saw  a  man  hatless  and  in  citizen's  clothes  coming,  after  me; 
thinking  he  was  a  rioter,  I  jumped  aside  and  asked  him  what 
was  the  matter.  He  did  not  answer,  but  struck  me  over  the  head 
with  his  club,  and  when  T  tried  to  run  away  he  struck  me  again. 
Finding  I  could  not  get  away,  I  drew  the  only  weapon  I  had, 
namely,  a  small  pocketknife,  and  cut  at  him  with  it.  He  then 
drew  his  revolver,  and  shot  me  in  the  mouth  and  in  the  arm. 


60 

I  then  run  to 'my  front  door  and  slammed  it  shut,  and  then 
opened  the  inner  door,  and  saw  no  one  around,  but  I  saw  a  re- 
volver lying  on  the  front  steps.  I  picked  it  up  and  took  it  with 
me  to  the  roof.  After  reaching  the  roof  I  sank  down  and  knew 
nothing  further  until  the  next  day,  when  I  found  myself  in 
Bellevue  Hospital.  I  was  taken  to  the  54th  Street  court  and 
from  there  remanded  to  the  Tombs,  where  I  remained  until 
September  25th,  1900,  when  I  was  brought  to  Part  I,  where  I 
was  discharged. 

Lloyd  Lee. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  1st  day  of  October,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Je.,  Notary  Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 
(The  Grand  Jury  refused  to  indict  Lloyd  Lee.) 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

Mrs.  Nettie  Threewitts,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says 
that  she  resides  at  No.  200  West  37th  Street;  that  on  Wednesday, 
August  15th,  1900,  about  half  past  ten,  she  was  preparing  to 
retire,  when  her  stepfather,  Lloyd  Lee,  came  to  her  door,  and 
she  asked  him  what  was  the  matter.  He  replied,  "Nettie,  Fm 
shot  I"  He  then  ran  to  the  roof.  Almost  immediately  after 
she  heard  two  men  come  into  the  hallway,  and  one  said,  "Get 
your  revolver  out!"  They  then  came  up  to  the  hallway  where 
I  was  standing,  and  I  saw  that  one  was  an  officer  in  uniform  and 
one  in  citizen's  clothes,  a  stout  man.  I  asked  them,  "What's  the 
matter?"  They  said,  "Where's  that  man?"  I  answered,  "I 
don't  know."  They  then  said,  "Who  is  the  man?"  I  answered, 
"He's  my  stepfather."  The  man  in  citizen's  clothes  then  said, 
"She's  got  blood  on  her;  take  her;  she's  a  prisoner."  I  then 
said,  "You  are  not  going  to  take  me  without  any  clothes  on?" 
He  answered,  "You  don't  need  any  clothes."  I  was  then  brought 
downstairs  and  kept  on  the  stoop  until  the  patrol  wagon  came, 
where  a  number  of  officers  who  were  standing  there  called  me 

a  ^n^lack  b ,"  and  one  of  them  struck  me  in  the  head  with 

his  fist,  another  one  deliberately  spit  in  my  face,  and  another 
took  his  helmet  and  jabbed  it  into  my  eye.  This  officer's  num- 
ber was  either  No.  3062  or  3064.  The  latter  occurred  while  I 
was  on  my  way  to  the  West  54th  Street  police  court.  Among 
the  other  remarks  which  were  made  to  me  was,  "They  ought  to 

burn  up  all  the  nigger  ranches;"     "Shut  up,  you're  a  w , 

the  same  as  the  rest  of  them."  I  was  kept  in  the  station  house 
without  any  additional  clothes  for  about  two  hours,  when  a 


^  61 

woman  who  lives  on  4:1st  Street  gave  me  an  underskirt,  which. 
I  put  on.  I  was  then  brought  into  the  room  back  of  the  main 
room,  and  from  there  was  taken  back  into  a  cell.  I  was  ar- 
raigned in  the  o4th  Street  police  court  and  held  in  $500  bail 
for  trial.    Mr.  E.  T.  Yamum  went  on  my  bond. 

:N"ettie  Threewitts. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  19th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  HAMiioxD,  Je.,   Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

William  Devan,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  403  West  29th  Street.  On  Wednesday,  August 
15th,  1900,  about  half  pa?t  ten,  while  walking  on  8th  Avenue, 
between  28th  and  29th  Streets,  I  was  attacked  by  a  mob  and 
shoved  through  a  glass  show  case,  cutting  my  head  severely. 
I  managed  to  get  away  from  the  mob  and  run  towards  8th 
Avenue  and  28th  Street,  where  I  was  stopped  by  a  policeman, 
who  grabbed  me,  and  the  mob  coming  up  at  that  moment  some 
of  them  shouted,  "Arrest  him;  he  has  just  broken  a  show  case." 
I  replied  that  I  did  not,  but  that  I  had  been  shoved  through  it. 
The  officer  said,  "Shut  up,  or  Fll  shove  this  stick  down  your 
throat."  He  then  took  me  to  the  station  house  in  West  37th 
Street,  where  I  was  detained  from  10:30  p.  M.  till  four  a.  m.  the 
next  day.  While  in  the  station  house  I  saw  a  man  brought  in 
who  had  nothing  on  but  an  undershirt,  and  who  was  bleeding 
from  wounds  in  his  head.  I  also  saw  Lee  brought  in,  and  saw 
the  surgeon  administer  an  injection,  and  put  him  into  the  am- 
bulance, saying,  "This  fellow  is  almost  gone,"  and  rushed  him 
off  to  the  hospital.  I  also  saw  Miss  Lee,  the  aforementioned 
man's  daughter,  who  was  brought  to  the  station  house  with  noth- 
ing but  her  nightgown  on,  and  one  of  the  women  in  the  station 
house  loaned  her  a  dress  to  put  on. 

WiLLiAii  Deyan". 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  11th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Je.,   Xotary-  Public  (164),  IS".  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

William  Hopson,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
I  reside  at  229  West  60th  Street.    I  am  engaged  in  the  jew- 
elry business,  and  am  night  engineer  at  the  Scarborough  Apart- 
ment House,  221  West  57th  Street.     On  Sunday,  August  26th, 


68 

1900,  in  the  afternoon,  I  was  standing  a  little  way  from  my 
door,  about  ten  yards,  and  saw  Officer  4600  walking  on  60th 
Street  from  10th  to  11th  Avenue.  After  he  passed  me  he  met 
a  platoon  of  policemen  who  were  coming  from  11th  Avenue 
towards  10th  Avenue,  and  turned  back  with  them.  Opposite 
225  West  60th  Street  there  were  two  colored  men  sitting  in 
front  of  the  door.  Officer  4600  came  over  and  without  warning 
struck  one  of  them.  As  he  did  so  the  other  one  ran  into  the 
house.  The  man  he  was  beating  also  attempted  to  run  in,  but 
he  ran  after  him  striking  him  on  the  head  with  his  fist.  (This 
was  James  A.  Scott,  225  West  60th  Street.)  He  then  came 
over  to  me,  struck  me  on  the  side  of  the  head,  and  said,  "What 
are  you  doing  here?"  I  said,  "I  am  looking  on,"  and  attempted 
to  go  into  my  apartments.  He  followed  me  and  struck  me  with 
his  clenched  hand  on  my  head.  This  was  within  five  feet  of 
my  door.  Here  he  was  joined  by  two  other  officers,  one  of  whom 
struck  me  a  blow  with  his  club,  full  force  on  the  head  and  eye, 
and  I  was  unable  to  see  anything  with  that  eye  for  some  time 
after;  it  is  bloodshot  still.  I  held  on  to  the  iron  railing  in  front 
of  231,  to  protect  myself  in  that  way  if  I  could.  As  I  did  so 
two  more  officers  came.  Three  of  them  were  clubbing  me,  and 
4600  was  striking  me  with  his  fist.  The  officer  who  struck  me 
in  the  eye  with  his  club  was  about  6  feet  2  inches  tall.  They 
tore  my  coat  and  broke  my  hat.  Some  one  attempted  to  hand  me 
my  hat  as  they  knocked  it  off,  but  one  of  the  officers  knocked 
it  out  of  the  person's  hand  with  his  club,  and  said,  '^'Never 
mind  the  hat."  This  was  as  I  was  being  led  to  the  station  house. 
When  we  reached  No.  227  Officer  4600,  who  had  me  in  charge, 
saw  Mr.  Myers,  the  janitor  of  227,  standing  in  front  of  the  door 
with  his  wife  and  several  other  persons.  Mr.  Myers  is  a  colored 
man.  Officer  4600  turned  me  over  to  another  officer  and  said, 
"Take  my  prisoner  to  the  station  house."  The  officer  replied, 
"No,  don't  take  him  there."  4600  insisted,  and  the  officer 
obeyed.  When  Officer  4600  went  over  to  Myers  he  wanted  to 
strike  him.  Myers  is  a  sick  man  and  just  got  out  of  the  hos- 
pital. His  wife  pleaded  with  the  officer  not  to  strike  him,  where- 
upon the  officer  turned  Myers  loose  and  raised  his  club  to  strike 
his  wife.  One  of  the  other  officers  told  4600  not  to  strike  that 
woman.  Then  five  or  six  officers  jumped  on  Myers  with  their 
clubs.  There  were  about  ten  policemen  altogether.  4600  struck 
him  with  his  fist.  One  officer  broke  his  club  into  pieces  on 
Myers'  head.  Myers  was  taken  to  Roosevelt  Hospital.  He  told 
me  in  court  the  next  day  that  as  he  was  passing  60th  Street 


and  10th  Avenue  they  saw  a  colored  man  having  his  shoes 
shined.  4600  said  to  him,  "See  that  hlack  nigger?  If  I  didn't 
have  you  I  would  drag  him  out  and  lay  his  head  open  the 
same  as  yours."  Myers  told  me  that  the  doctor  at  the  hospital 
recognized  him  and  asked  him  what  was  the  matter.  The  officer 
told  Myers  to.  '"shut  up,"  and  said  to  the  doctor,  "That  is  my 
prisoner."  I  was  taken  to  the  station  house,  where  the  officer 
who  brought  me  there  made  the  complaint  against  me  for 
Officer  4600.  He  told  the  sergeant  I  "showed  fight."  I  was  not 
told  what  the  formal  charge  against  me  was.  The  sergeant 
asked  me  nothing  but  the  usual  questions,  what  my  name  was, 
etc.  I  was  bleeding  from  my  eye.  The  colored  people  and  the 
whites  on  this  street  have  always  been  very  friendly,  and  are  so 
even  now.  There  never  was  any  trouble  until  these  officers 
raised  the  disturbance  on  that  day.  Officer  4600  started  the 
thing.  Some  of  the  tenants  of  Nos.  227,  229,  and  231  saw  this 
outrageous  treatment  on  the  part  of  the  policemen.  We  were 
discharged  in  court  the  next  day,  after  4600  had  made  his  com- 
plaint to  the  magistrate.  I  have  been  in  New  York  for  over 
eight  years,  and  have  never  been  arrested  before  in  my  life.  I 
was  employed  in  Harris  &  Flippin's  sporting  goods  store  in 
Eichmond,  Va.,  for  two  years;  I  was  employed  by  Oscar  Miller, 
154  Chambers  Street,  coffee  and  spice  dealer,  for  ten  months 
at  his  residence  in  Sing  Sing;  I  was  employed  by  C.  E.  Vedder, 
druggist,  at  116th  Street  and  Madison  Avenue,  for  three  years; 
I  was  employed  by  Andrew  Lester,  of  56th  Street  and  8th 
Avenue,  at  the  Washington  Apartments,  for  ten  months;  I  was 
employed  by  the  Goldsoll  Diamond  Palace,  14th  Street,  about 
two  years;  W.  P.  linger,  dealer  in  essence  oils,  18  Cedar  Street, 
for  ten  months;  Van  Boskerck  &  Wilson,  132  West  21st  Street, 
dressmakers,  for  ten  months.  I  am  now  employed  by  Mr.  Con- 
dit,  of  the  firm  of  Acker,  Merrill  &  Condit,  at  the  Scarborough 
Apartment  House,  221  West  5Tth  Street.  I  have  been  so  em- 
ployed for  about  two  years.  I  did  nothing  which  justified  my 
arrest  or  this  action  on  the  part-  of  the  police. 

William  Hopson. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  31st  day  of  August,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond.  Jr..    Notary  Public  (164),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  "and  County  of  New  Yorlc,  ss.: 

George  L.  Myers,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says  that  he 
resides  at  227  West  60th  Street.  Manhattan  Borouofh.  New  York 


64 

City;  that  on  Sunday,  August  26th,  1900,  at  about  half  past 
one,  he  went  downstairs,  hearing  a  noise,  and  being  janitor  of 
No.  225  as  well  as  227,  naturally  he  wanted  to  see  everything 
was  all  right  on  the  premises.  He  was  standing  in  the  doorway 
of  No.  227  when  the  oflB.cers  approached  and  said  to  him,  ^'What 
are  you  doing  here?^^  He  answered,  ^"Xo  thing."  One  of  the 
officers  then  said,  "Pll  place  you  under  arrest."  "All  right," 
he  answered,  "take  me  along."  The  said  officer  then  struck  him 
with  his  fist  under  the  left  jaw,  and  then  grabbed  him  and 
struck  him  over  the  head  with  his  club,  knocking  him  insensible. 
When  he  recovered  consciousness  he  was  on  the  comer  of  Am- 
sterdam Avenue  and  60th  Street,  and  in  charge  of  Officer  John 
J.  Clear}^,  who  took  him  to  the  Eoosevelt  Hospital.  Wliile  on 
the  way  there  said  Officer  Cleary  continued  to  strike  deponent 
with  his  clinched  fist,  saying,  "There^s  one  for  luck,"  and  "If  I 
had  got  you  first  I  would  not  have  struck  you  with  my  fist,  I 
would  have  used  my  club  on  your  head  and  killed  you."'  De- 
ponent was  taken  to  the  station  house,  where  he  was  charged 
with  "interfering  with  an  officer  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty," 
and  "attempting  to  rescue  a  prisoner."  The  same  charge  was 
made  the  next  morning  in  the  Police  Court,  where  he  was  dis- 
charged. Deponent  declares  that  he  was  perfectly  sober,  and 
was  downstairs  by  reason  of  his  being  janitor  of  the  aforemen- 
tioned houses,  and  it  was  his  duty  to  be  where  he  was  and 
at  that  time;  that  he  has  never  been  arrested  in  his  life  before, 
and  that  he  did  not  attempt  to  rescue  anyone  from  the  cus- 
tody of  an  officer,  and  that  the  assault  was  entirely  unjustified 
and  an  outrage. 

Geo.  L.  Myers. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammoxd,  Jr.,    NotarN^*' Public  (164),  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  Yorh,  ss.: 

Mrs.  Frances  C.  Myers,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says 
that  she  is  the  wife  of  George  L.  Myers,  and  that  she  resides  at 
227  West  60th  Street;  that  she  has  read  the  affidavit  of  the  said 
George  L.  Myers,  her  husband,  and  that  slie  knows  the  facts 
therein  stated  to  be  true  of  her  own  knowledge  and  belief.  De- 
ponent further  states  that  while  her  husband  was  being  climbed 
she  implored  and  begged  the  officers  not  to  strike  her  husband, 
as  he  was  a  cripple,  and  had  done  nothing,  but  they  continued 
to  strike  him,  and  one  of  the  officers  drew  off  as- if  to  strike  her 


65 

with  his  fist^  and  another  as  if  to  strike  her  with  liis  billy,  but 
she  got  out  of  their  way,  and  w^hen  she  saw  an  officer  break  his 
billy  over  her  husband^s  head  she  thought  they  had  killed  him, 
and  she  then  went  on  upstairs.  The  officers  refused  to  even 
allow  her  to  pick  up  his  hat. 

Frances  C.  Myeks. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Geo.  p.  Hammond,  Jr.,   Notary  Public  (164),  :N".  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

James  A.  Scott,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 

I  reside  at  225  West  60th  Street.  On  Sunday  afternoon, 
August  26th,  some  officers  went  down  the  street  towards  11th 
Avenue.  They  were  pursuing  bad  boys  who  had  made  a  dis- 
turbance in  the  morning.  I  saw  them  from  my  window,  and 
after  they  reached  11th  Avenue  I  went  down  to  the  door,  and 
stood  there  looking  towards  11th  Avenue,  where  there  was  a 
crowd.  There  were  only  two  persons  near  me,  nearly  all  of 
the  persons  who  were  on  the  street  having  gone  down  to  the 
avenue;  one  was  a  boy  named  Smith,  and  another  young  man 
who  has  moved  away.  An  officer  whom  I  have  since  learned  is 
John  J.  Cleary,  came  from  10th  Avenue  towards  me.  He  spoke 
to  me  before  I  saw  him,  saying,  "Do  you  live  here?"  and  I 
turned  to  see  who  spoke  to  me,  and  as  I  turned  towards  him, 
before  I  could  reply  he  struck  me  a  hard  blow  on  my  head  with 
a  hard  substance,  which  dazed  me,  and  he  followed  it  with  a  blow 
of  his  fist  in  the  mouth,  and  I  went  down  in  a  heap.  I  began  to 
bleed  profusely  from  the  mouth.  I  was  in  my  doorway  when 
he  struck  me,  so  that  I  fell  into  my  hall.  He  did  not  attempt  to 
arrest  me.  I  went  upstairs,  and  I  heard  a  woman^s  voice  scream- 
ing, "Don't  beat  my  husband."  I  looked  out  of  the  window  and 
saw  the  same  policeman,  Cleary,  and  other  officers  w^hom  I  can- 
not identify,  clubbing  George  L.  Myers.  The  principal  clubber 
was  the  said  Cleary.  I  saw  him  club  the  said  Myers  on  the  head 
until  he. broke  his  club,  and  saw  him  pulling  Myers  up  60th 
Street,  and  punching  him  with  his  fist.  Myers  was  dreadfully 
beaten  and  was  bleeding  badly. 

James  A.  Scott. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  24th  day  of  September,  1900. 

Frank  Moss,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 

(The  case  of  Hopson,  Myers,  and  Scott  is  substantiated  by 
fully  twenty  witnesses.) 
5 


66 

City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

John  Wolf,  of  No.  347  West  37th  Street,  being  duly  sworn, 
deposes  and  says: 

On  Sunday,  September  30,  I  was  visiting  a  female  friend,  and 
two  officers  came  in  with  a  woman  I  had  known,  and  who 
claimed  to  be  my  wife  but  was  not.  The  officers  ordered  me  to 
leave  the  house,  and  I  did  so.  I  asked  the  officers,  "Why?"  and 
one  of  them  said,  "If  I  catch  you  here  again  I  will  lock  you  up." 
I  never  had  any  experience  in  court  or  in  such  matters  before, 
and  I  went  to  the  station  house  for  advice.  I  went  to  the  ser- 
geant at  the  desk,  and  told  him  that  I  was  in  trouble,  and  with- 
out experience,  and  I  wanted  to  be  advised.  He  said,  "What  is 
the  matter  with  you?"  I  said,  "Can  a  woman  that  I  have  lived 
with  have  me  arrested  because  I  don't  want  to  live  with  her  any 
more?"  He  answered,  "What  are  you  talking  about?  You  get 
out  of  here!"  I  was  surprised,  and  didn't  move  quickly  enough 
to  suit  him,  and  he  ordered  an  officer  to  arrest  me.  The  officer 
stepped  up  to  me  in  front  of  the  desk,  pulled  a  billy  from  his 
pocket,  and  suddenly  struck  me  a  hard  blow  on  my  right  jaw, 
which  broke  it  and  caused  my  chin  to  fall  down.  The  officer 
hurried  me  back  to  a  cell.  I  suffered  terrible  agony  and  walked 
up  and  down  my  cell  all  night  calling  for  relief.  I  paid  thirty- 
five  cents  to  send  out  a  message  to  Mr.  Young,  who  was  not  at 
home.  His  son  came,  but  was  not  allowed  to  see  me.  I  had 
no  attention  at  all,  and  in  the  morning  was  arraigned  in  couri:. 
The  officer  was  on  the  bridge  close  to  the  judge;  I  was  down 
on  the  floor.  I  couldn't  hear  what  charge  he  made  or  what  he 
said.  My  face  was  swelled  and  ijiouth  almost  closed,  and  I  could 
not  make  any  statement.  The  justice  fined  me  three  dollars  on 
the  officer's  statement,  and  the  police  attendants  hustled  me 
along.  I  had  no  money  to  pay  my  fine,  and  was  sent  back  to  the 
court  prison.  I  was  in  an  awful  condition.  I  lay  down  on  some 
boards,  but  couldn't  stay  still.  I  moaned,  and  cried  for  help,  but 
could  not  get  anyone  to  notice  my  case.  The  night  man  who 
came  on  duty  on  Monday  night  was  a  humane  man,  and  asked 
what  was  my  trouble,  and  I  told  him  as  well  as  I  could.  He  rang 
for  an  ambulance,  and  I  was  taken  to  Bellevue  Hospital.  I 
reached  there  9:30  p.  m.,  Monday,  and  was  put  to  bed,  and  re- 
mained there  till  four  p.  m.,  Wednesday.  I  was  unable  to  take 
nourishment  while  there.  When  I  was  discharged  I  went  to 
the  station  house  for  my  personal  effects,  and  the  officer  then 
in  charge  asked  me  my  trouble  (for  my  head  was  swathed  in 
bandages),  and  I  told  him,  and  he  caused  me  to  remain  and 


67 

identify  the  officer  who  hit  me.  He  scolded  the  officer,  who  an- 
swered nothing,  and  he  sent  me  to  Police  Headquarters  to  In- 
spector Thompson  with  a  note,  and  ever  since  that  time  they 
have  been  investigating  my  case,  and  I  have  gone  back  and 
forth  a  good  many  times.  Inspector  Thompson,  in  my  hearing, 
complained  bitterly  of  the  ruffianly  conduct  of  the  officers  in 
the  20th  Precinct.  He  told  of  a  case  where  one  had  beaten  a 
colored  woman  eighty-one  years  of  age,  and  was  afterwards  found 
helplessly  drunk  in  a  saloon;  he  said  they  were  bringing  dis- 
grace on  the  police  force.  He  seemed  to  try  to  get  the  evidence 
in  my  case  all  right,  but  the  trouble  is  that  six  policemen  and  the 
sergeant  swore  that  they  were  in  the  room  when  I  was  arrested 
and  that  they  did  not  see  any  blow  struck,  but  they  could  not 
account  for  my  broken  jaw.  This  perjury  was  awful.  I  am 
feeling  very  badly — have  just  now  come  from  the  hospital.  I 
go  there  every  day  for  treatment.  My  jaw  is  still  loose,  and  will 
not  hold  in  position  without  the  bandages  that  almost  cover 
my  face  and  head.  The  doctor  at  the  hospital  says  that  the 
blow  must  have  been  a  very  hard  one,  for  the  bone  is  crushed. 
I  am  poor,  and  cannot  work  now.  I  suffered  also  in  the  riot 
on  the  1 5th  of  August.  I  was  going  to  my  home,  which  was  then 
at  245  West  32nd  Street,  and  was  pulled  off  an  8th  Avenue  car 
by  the  mob,  and  was  pelted  with  stones  and  beaten  with  sticks. 
At  first  the  police  who  were  near  by  did  not  interfere,  but  after 
I  was  severely  hurt  they  came  over,  and  as  I  was  down  on  my 
hands  and  knees,  trying  to  get  up,  one  of  the  officers  struck  me 
three  blows  on  my  body  with  his  club,  and  ordered  me  to  get 
up  and  get  out.  I  was  then  quite  near  my  home,  and  I  ran  over 
there,  and  was  pulled  in  by  my  friends.  The  mob  and  the 
police  chased  me.  The  police  hurt  me  more  than  the  rioters. 
I  had  a  friend  with  me,  and  the  police  clubbed  him  also.  He 
ran  into  my  house  with  me,  and  stayed  there.  When  the  police- 
men ordered  me  to  get  out  I  was  surrounded  by  the  mob  that 
was  beating  me,  and  they  made  no  effort  to  interfere  with  them. 
I  have  always  been  a  hard-working  man,  and  was  never  before 
arrested. 

John  Wolf. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  11th  day  of  October,  1900. 

Frank  Moss,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 


68 

City  and  County  of  New  Yorlc,  ss.: 

William  J.  Elliott,  being  duly  sworn,  says: 

My  name  is  William  J.  Elliott.  I  reside  at  209  East  59tli 
Street.  At  the  time  of  the  riot,  on  August  loth,  I  lived  at  327 
West  35th  Street.  I  moved  from  that  side  of  the  town  right 
at  once  on  account  of  the  riot.  I  am  twenty-six  years  of  age 
and  weigh  about  130  pounds,  and  am  employed  at  the  Hotel 
Imperial.  I  have  been  there  nearly  two  years.  I  finished  my 
grammar  school  education  in  1887.  I  entered  the  Florida  State 
Normal  College  in  1894;  I  was  there  for  two  sessions,  from  ^94 
to  ^95.  I  left  there  and  entered  into  a  drug  firm  by  the  name  of 
Martinez  &  Co.,  Jacksonville,  Florida,  as  an  apprentice  to  study 
pharmacy,  and  in  less  than  a  year  my  advancement  was  so  good 
I  was  made  a  prescriptionist.  I  then  came  to  Xew  York  and  en- 
tered a  drug  firm  by  the  name  of  C.  K.  Harris  Beach  Pharmacy 
at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.  I  was  a  trustworthy  man  there,  gener- 
ally useful;  during  one  fall  had  entire  charge  of  one  of  two  of 
Mr.  Harris'  drug  stores  in  Atlantic  City.  Mr.  Harris  sold  out, 
and  after  that  I  sought  other  work,  and  I  came  here  to  Xew 
York  City.  My  intention  has  been  to  accumulate  enough  money 
to  take  a  pharmaceutical  course.  On  the  night  of  August  14th 
there  came  a  colored  man  to  the  Hotel  Imperial  and  informed 
the  front  door  man  that  there  were  riots  in  the  street  and  that 
there  was  no  way  of  getting  home.  This  was  between  nine  and 
ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  About  12:15  I  was  off  duty,  and  left 
the  hotel  with  John  Chism,  the  front  door  man;  we  went  out 
to  investigate  and  see  if  the  boys  could  get  home.  We  had  no 
sooner  got  to  6th  Avenue  and  31st  Street  than  a  fierce  mob 
came  chasing  down  the  street  and  in  hot  pursuit  of  a  colored 
man,  yelling,  "Kill  the  nigger!  Lynch  him!"  We  then  ran 
towards  Broadway,  and  were  met  there  by  Mr.  Murphy,  a  man 
who  keeps  a  saloon  at  31st  Street  and  6th  Avenue.  He  advised 
us  to  go  at  once  back  to  the  hotel  and  to  tell  the  chief,  Mr. 
Eoberts,  to  keep  all  of  his  men  in  the  hotel  that  night  or  they 
wouhl  get  killed.  We  went  back,  and  I  delivered  the  message 
to  Chief  Roberts,  and  he  advised  and  told  all  the  men  to  stay 
in.  Chism,  Travers,  and  myself  came  out  to  the  front  door 
again,  and  saw  a  Negro  running  for  his  life  by  the  Hotel  Im- 
])erial  through  32nd  Street  towards  5th  Avenue,  with  a  mad 
crowd  behind  him.  Then  we  were  made  to  come  into  the  hotel 
by  the  chief,  ns  the  hotel  people  were  afraid  that  the  mob  might 
attack  the  house.  I  remained  in  the  hotel  all  night.  Mr. 
Chism  and  I  tried  to  ^let  a  closed  cab  to  drive  three  of  us  home, 


69 

but  the  cabman  said  lie  would  not  drive  us  home  for  $500. 
This  was  the  night  of  the  riot  in  which  so  many  were  injured. 
At  five  o'clock  the  next  morning  I  left  the  Hotel  Imperial  to 
go  home  with  Leon  Vonce.  I  walked  as  far  as  36th  Street  and 
8th  Avenue  with  him,  as  I  intended  to  go  to  his  home  with  Mm, 
as  he  was  very  anxious  about  his  wife;  he  was  afraid  she  might 
have  been  attacked.  When  we  got  to  the  corner  of  36th  Street 
and  8th  Avenue  I  saw  a  big  white  man  jump  on  one  of  two  col- 
ored boys,  whom  I  know  to  be  hotel  boys  going  to  their  work. 
T  got  a  little  uneasy  at  the  sights  I  saw,  and  I  saw  some  blood 
on  the  sidewalk,  and  Leon  Yonce  said  to  me,  "You  had  better 
turn  around  and  go  home,"  and  I  did,  and  went  to  bed.  At  half 
past  eleven  I  awoke  and  dressed  myself  and  got  out  of  the  house 
by  a  quarter  to  twelve  noon,  and  got  as  far  ds  Eocky's  drug 
store,  corner  34th  Street  and  8th  Avenue.  A  white  boy  stand- 
ing on  the  corner  said  to  me,  "You  had  better  go  away  from 
around  here,  or  you  will  get  killed."  I  then  noticed  groups  of 
boys  and  men  running  from  3ith  Street  down  8th  Avenue;  they 
were  right  across  the  street  from  me,  and  at  sight  of  them  I 
became  afraid  that  they  would  attack  me  and  I  ran  home.  I 
had,  however,  to  get  to  my  work,  as  I  knew  the  hotel  people 
needed  me,  and  I  was  afraid  that  some  of  the  other  men  would 
not  be  able  to  get  back  to  the  hotel;  so  after  a  little  while  I  made 
another  attempt  to  go  to  the  hotel.  I  went  out  of  the  house. 
I  was  then  addressed  by  a  white  man,  who  seemed  to  be  much  of 
a  gentleman.  He  says  (this  was  w]ien  I  reached  8tli  Avenue), 
"For  God's  sake,  boy,  you  had  better  go  away  from  here.  Go 
ahead,  jump  on  that  car;  they  just  near  killed  a  colored  man 
across  the  street."  Then  as  he  said  that  I  heard  the  crowd  yell, 
"There's  a  nigger!  there's  a  nigger!  Catch  him!"  Luckily  for 
me,  I  jumped  on  a  car  and  there  was  a  colored  boy  on  the  cor- 
ner by  Comford  Brothers'  saloon.  The  mob  saw  him  and  ran 
after  him;  they  caught  the,  colored  boy  and  the  mob  grabbed 
and  gathered  around  him.  They  were  rough-looking  fellows, 
and  I  could  not  see  what  they  did  to  the  colored  boy,  for  he 
was  in  the  center  of  this  mob.  The  car  I  jumped  on  was  a  green 
car  and  went  across  9th  Avenue  on  34th  Street.  I  jumped  off 
at  9th  Avenue,  and  just  as  I  left  the  car  there  were  four  big 

white  fellows  said,  "There's  a  d d  nigger!"  and  they  started 

at  me,  and  I  ran  home  as  hard  as  I  could,  and  when  I  reached 
home  I  was  all  out  of  breath.  When  I  got  home  the  folks  at 
home  asked  me  if  I  had  anything  to  protect  myself.  I  told 
them  no,  I  had  nothing;  I  never  had  any  use  for  such  things. 


70 

There  was  a  colored  gentleman  stopping  there,  Mr.  Miles.  He 
said  it  was  very  dangerous  for  me  to  go  out,  but  if  I  intended  go- 
ing out  at  all  he  had  a  little  gun  upstairs,  which  probably  would 
be  some  protection  from  the  mob.  I  thanked  him  very  much,  and 
took  the  gun,  a  little  .22  caliber  revolver.  I  still  felt  it  necessary 
for  me  to  go  back  to  the  hotel,  and  I  thought  I  would  get  back 
by  going  another  way,  and  for  an  hour  and  a  half  I  stood  on  my 
stoop  and  in  the  house  at  times  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to 
get  by  the  crowd  on  8th  Avenue  and  elsewhere;  this  was  about 
half  past  two  or  quarter  to  three  in  the  afternoon.  I  started 
and  went  west  towards  9th  Avenue,  thinking  I  could  take  a  car 
going  north  to  42nd  Street,  and  then  across  42nd  Street  and 
down  Broadway  to  the  Hotel  Imperial  at  32nd  Street  and  Broad- 
way. Just  as  I  got  to  35th  Street  and  turned  the  corner  on  9th 
Avenue  there  was  a  mob  of  three  or  four  hundred  men  and  boys 
just  below  me  coming  up  9th  Avenue,  screaming  and  hollering 
and  following  a  car  and  yelling,  "Take  the  nigger  off  the  car!" 
"Catch  the  nigger!"  and  "Kill  the  nigger!"  and  I  turned  then 
and  I  ran  up  9th  Avenue  as  hard  as  I  could  from  the  mob,  and 
I  ran  into  a  pawnbroker's  shop,  Mr.  "Weaver's  pawnshop.  I  stood 
behind  the  closed  doors,  and  through  the  small  openings  or 
bhnds  that  the  pawnbrokers  have  over  their  doors  I  could  see 
that  part  of  the  big  crowd  that  stood  in  front  of  the  pawn- 
broker's shop,  many  of  whom  were  lined  up  on  the  sidewalk 
across  the  street.  I  could  also  see  a  policeman  trying  to  disperse 
the  men  with  his  club.  He  was  hitting  with  his  club  right  and 
left  to  clear  the  sidewalk.  I  saw  three  guns  hanging  in  the 
pawnbroker's  window,  and  I  said  to  the  pawnbroker,  "Let  me 
see  those  guns  there."  I  had  not  any  intention  of  bu}ing  the 
guns,  and  did  not  buy  them,  but  I  thought  it  would  be  a  bluff  to 
make  the  crowd  think  I  had  something.  I  told  the  pawnbroker's 
clerk  I  did  not  want  a  gun  at  that  time,  I  would  come  back. 
While  I  was  pricing  the  guns  a  great  big  white  fellow  opened  the 
door,  put  his  head  in,  and  looked  suspiciously  around  the  room. 
He  gave  me  one  of  those  staring  looks,  and  then  shut  the  door. 
Then  Mr.  Weaver,  the  owner  of  the  pawnshop,  said,  "Don't  you 
go  out  there;  they  are  waiting  out  there  for  you;  they  will  beat 
you."  After  staying  there  for  over  half  an  hour,  listening  to  the 
hollering  outside  of  "Kill  the  nigger!"  "Lynch  the  nigger!" 
and  the  crowd  running  about  the  street  chasing  other  negroes, 
a  great  many  of  whom  lived  in  that  locality,  I  asked  the  clerk  if 
I  could  go  upstairs  and  hide,  as  I  was  afraid  they  might  come  in 
after  me;  but  he  said,  "No  one  dasen't  come  in  here."    Shortly 


71 

after  this  conversation  I  asked  this  clerk  if  it  was  safe  to  go  out. 
He  said  yes,  the  crowd  was  chased  down  the  Avenue.  I  also 
asked  Mr.  Weaver  if  it  was  safe  to  go  out  now.  He  said  he 
thought  ever}i:hing  was  over  now.  I  went  to  the  door  and  peeped 
out,  and  I  only  saw  a  few  people  in  groups  and  four  boys  stand- 
ing right  at  the  pawnbroker's  door  a  little  to  the  left  of  me.  I 
called  to  one  of  these  white  boys,  and  asked  him  if  it  was  safe 
for  me  to  go  out.  He  asked  me  where  did  I  want  to  go.  I  told 
his  as  far  as  42nd  Street.  He  said,  "Go  to  one  of  those  cops  and 
he  will  take  you  up."  I  saw  some  cops  at  36th  Street  corner. 
I  started  toward  the  cops  to  ask  them  to  take  me  up  to  42nd 
Street,  but  I  had  not  gone  half  a  dozen  steps  towards  where  the 
cops  were  when  a  man  in  citizen's  clothes  grabbed  me.  I  learned 
afterwards  he  was  an  officer,  and  he  asked  me  where  I  was  going. 
I  told  him  I  was  trying  to  get  to  my  work.  He  asked  me  what 
I  was  doing  in  a  pawnbroker's  shop.  Before  I  could  explain  he 
said  I  had  bought  a  gun,  and  commenced  to  search  me.  At  that 
time  there  were  four  policemen  around  me.  The  little  .22 
caliber  gun  he  found  and  took  from  my  pocket.  I  offered  no  re- 
sistance, and  only  asked  him  for  protection  from  the  mob,  which 
conmienced  to  gather  again,  and  were  now  yelling,  "Kill  the 
nigger!"  "Lynch  the  nigger!"  This  mob  came  up  close  behind 
me  with  sticks  and  stones.  One  of  the  officers  knocked  on  the 
sidewalk  with  his  club,  and  there  were  about  half  a  dozen  more 
officers  ran  to  us  to  keep  the  mob  off  me.  The  mob  was  kept 
off  me,  and  the  officer  in  citizen's  clothes  and  a  policeman  in 
uniform  took  hold  of  each  of  my  shoulders  and  four  policemen 
followed  behind  me.  The  mob  went  along  too,  yelling  and 
screaming,  "Kill  the  nigger!"  "Lynch  the  nigger!"  We  went 
west  on  37th  Street  towards  the  37th  Street  station,  which  is 
between  9th  and  10th  Avenues,  when  we  turned  into  37th 
Street.  Then  the  two  officers  in  charge  of  me  and  two  more  be- 
hind me  took  me  to  the  37th  Street  station  house.  Up  to  this 
time  I  had  not  received  a  blow,  and  was  not  injured  in  any  way. 
They  stood  me  before  a  man  who  sat  behind  a  desk  in  the  station 
house.  There  were  lots  of  people  there.  Some  of  the  men  were 
in  citizens'  clothes.  The  man  behind  the  desk  said  to  the  of- 
ficer who  had  me  in  charge,  "What  is  the  charge  against  this 
man?"  and  the  officer  in  citizen's  clothes  said,  "Carrying  a  con- 
cealed weapon  he  bought  out  of  a  pawnshop."  I  said,  "I  did 
not  buy  any  weapon  there,"  and  the  man  behind  the  desk  said, 
'TDon't  dictate  to  us  about  what  you  did  not  do,"  and  then  I 
started  to  tell  him  about  my  reputation  and  not  being  a  rioter, 


72 

and  that  I  was  only  trying  to  get  to  my  work.  He  said,  "We  have 
got  no  time  to  look  up  your  reputation.  Lock  him  up.''  I  was 
taken  by  the  jailer  who  is  in  the  station  house,  and  he  said, 
"Come  on,''  and  took  hold  of  me.  There  were  two  doors  leading 
from  the  office  into  the  muster  room,  and  I  went  to  get  through 
the  left-hand  door.  Eight  beside  the  door  in  the  station  house 
was  a  policeman  leaning  against  the  door.  As  I  passed  him  he 
threw  out  his  foot  and  tripped  me.  I  stumbled  but  did  not 
fall.  I  did  not  see  the  jailer;  he  let  go  of  my  coat  he  had  hold 
of.  I  looked  around  at  the  man  who  tripped  me.  As  I  looked 
around  another  policeman  struck  me  on  the  jaw  with  his  fist; 
then  another  struck  me  in  the  back  of  the  head  with  liis  club, 
and  all  the  policemen  in  the  muster  room  jumped  up  and  jumped 
on  me,  yelling,  "Kill  him!"  "Kill  the  nigger  I"  I  still  stood  up 
and  received  many  punches.  I  begged  for  mercy,  and  did  not 
weaken  until  an  officer  struck  me  in  the  temple  with  his  billy, 
and  everj'thing  was  dark  around  me.  I  fell  down,  and  I  could 
still  feel  them  kicking  and  beating  me  about.  This  time  the 
man  behind  the  desk,  who  I  believe  is  Captain  Cooney,  rushed 
in  and  said,  "Don't  kill  that  man  in  here.  The  reporters  are  out 
here,  and  there  is  going  to  be  a  charge  made  against  you,  and 
if  another  man  touches  a  prisoner  in  here  I  will  take  a  hand  in 
it  myself;"  and  he  says,  "Lock  that  man  up."  At  that  time  I 
held  my  hands  above  my  head  and  was  running  around  trying 
to  find  the  doorway  to  the  cells.  I  was  then  taken  and  locked 
up.  I  am  still  sick  and  ill  from  the  blows  that  I  received,  and 
my  right  eye  is  affected.  It  quivers  and  is  bloodshot,  and  the 
right  part  of  my  head  and  temple  is  sore.  I  stayed  in  the  police 
station  all  night,  and  sent  a  telegram  to  the  hotel  people  at  the 
Imperial,  and  the  manager  sent  a  detective  over  to  get  me  out, 
but  the  detective  was  afraid  to  take  me  out.  The  next  morning 
I  was  arraigned  before  Magistrate  Cornell  for  carrying  a  con- 
cealed weapon.  Magistrate  Cornell  picked  up  the  pistol  and 
said,  "Is  this  your  gun?"  and  laughed,  and  said  that  a  man  with 
a  bad  reputation  would  carry  no  such  gun  as  that;  but  he  said, 
"We  will  have  to  charge  you  three  dollars  for  carrying  a  con- 
cealed weapon."  I  paid  the  fine  and  went  straight  to  Travers' 
house,  where  my  head  was  bathed  in  hot  water  and  alcohol,  and 
he  rubbed  my  side  and  back.  I  remained  there  in  bed  all  da^. 
I  was  unable  to  work  for  two  days,  and  then  I  went  back.  Since 
I  went  back  Captain  Cooney  has  sent  for  me  twice,  but  I  have 
been  afraid  to  go  back  there.  I  can  bring  more  evidence  to  show 
that  after  I  came  out  of  the  police  station  my  head  was  swollen 


half  its  size  again,  and  I  could  hardly  open  my  mouth,  and  for 
two  days  I  had  difficulty  in  eating.  I  cannot  open  my  mouth 
right  wide  now. 

"William  J.  Elliott. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  24th  day  of  August,  1900. 

IIerbeet  Paksoxs,  Xotary  Public,  X.  Y.  County. 

(On  the  hearing  before  Commissioner  York  three  newspaper 
reporters  corroborated  Elliott,  but  a  host  of  policemen  contra- 
dicted him.  Elliott  and  his  witnesses  were  badgered  by  Mr. 
York,  and  the  pohcemen  were  led  and  protected.  Counsel  was 
not  permitted  to  take  part.) 


CiUj  and  County  of  New  YorJc,  ss.: 

My  name  is  Harry  Eeed.  I  reside  at  346  West  41st  Street, 
in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  City  of  Xew  York.  On  August 
15th,  1900,  I  was  over  in  Brooklyn  and  was  coming  home  with 
four  companions.  About  half-past  twelve  I  reached  the  corner 
of  34th  Street  and  8th  Avenue.  W'e  five  boys  were  sitting  on 
the  seat  of  an  open  8th  Avenue  car.  "When  we  got  at  the  corner 
of  3?th  Street  and  8th  Avenue  we  saw  a  mob,  and  the  mob 
called  out,  ^'There's  some  niggers;  lynch  them!''  and  they  made 
a  rush  for  the  car,  and  I  jumped  out.  Then  I  ran  up  to  the 
corner  of  38th  Street,  where  there  were  four  policemen.  Of 
these  four  policemen  three  were  standing  on  the  corner,  and  one 
ran  into  the  street  to  stop  me.  When  he  saw  me  coming  I  was 
running  hard,  fast  as  I  could.  When  I  reached  this  policeman 
in  the  street,  he  hit  me  over  the  head  with  his  club.  He 
hit  me  twice  over  the  head,  and  I  saw  the  other  three 
policemen  coming,  and  I  fell  down.  I  thought  if  I  fell  down 
the  others  would  not  attack  me,  but  they  did;  they  hit  me  over 
the  legs  and  on  my  arm,  when  I  raised  it  up  to  protect  my  head, 
and  they  hit  me  in  the  back.  The  two  cops  started  to  take  me 
to  the  police  station,  but  when  they  saw  a  patrol  wagon  come 
around  the  corner  of  38th  Street  into  8th  Avenue  they  called 
the  patrol  wagon,  and  both  went  with  me  in  the  patrol  wagon 
to  the  station  house,  where  I  stayed  till  about  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  There  was  no  charge  made  against  me  in  the  station 
house.  After  my  head  was  bound  up,  and  at  about  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  a  man  dressed  in  citizen's  clothes  said,  "Two  at 
a  time  can  go  when  they  want  to;  things  are  quieted  down  some- 
what."    I  asked  him  if  anybody  was  going  with  us,  and  they 


74 

said,  "Xo,  go  by  yourself."  I  went  directly  home,  where  I 
stayed  and  went  to  bed.  I  got  up  at  about  half-past  eight  and 
went  to  the  Eoosevelt  Hospital  the  next  morning.  They  told 
me  at  the  station  house  to  go  to  the  hospital.  I  have  been  up 
to  the  Eoosevelt  Hospital  three  times,  on  the  16th,  17th,  and 
18th.  I  don't  think  I  will  go  any  more,  but  still  I  have  to  wear 
a  bandage  and  dress  my  head.  The  scar  that  I  have  got  on  my 
head  is  about  two  inches  long,  and  I  was  also  hit  and  a  bump 
was  raised  on  the  back  of  my  head,  but  the  skin  is  not  broken.  I 
bled  a  great  deal  from  the  wound  on  my  head;  my  shirt,  collar, 
and  tie  were  all  blood-spotted.  I  am  about  fifteen  years  old; 
one  of  my  companions,  who  is  about  twenty-four  years  old,  was 
knocked  down,  kicked  in  the  face,  and  thrown  down  a  cellar 
by  a  mob.  He  is  my  father's  son-in-law;  his  name  is  Joe  Walker, 
and  he  resides  at  346  West  41st  Street.  My  other  companions 
did  not  get  hurt  at  all.  One  of  them  started  to  jump  from  the 
car,  but  a  poUceman  told  him  to  get  back,  and  he  stayed  on  the 
car,  and  the  mob  left  him  there  because  they  were  chasing  me 
and  the  other  fellow.  This  man  was  about  nineteen  or  twenty 
years  old.  Of  my  other  companions,  one  was  a  white  boy  about 
nineteen  years  old,  and  the  mob  did  not  touch  him,  and  he 
stayed  on  the  car.  The  other  colored  boy,  who  is  about  fifteen 
years  old,  is  light-complexioned  in  color,  and  the  mob  did  not 
touch  him;  he  stayed  on  the  cars  also.  We  were  in  the  third  seat 
from  the  front;  we  were  all  sitting  on  the  same  seat. 
I  was  on  the  right  hand  and  outside  coming  up,  and  when  I 
saw  the  mob  coming  along  the  street  from  the  right  I  clambered 
past  the  other  fellows  and  jumped  over  the  rail  on  the  left, 
and  was  the  first  fellow  out.  I  ran  uptown  towards  38th  Street, 
where  I  saw  these  cops.  I  wanted  to  get  protection,  but  instead 
the  cops  hit  me,  as  I  have  told.  I  did  not  resist  arrest,  and  I 
did  not  struggle  to  get  away  from  the  cops.  I  only  wanted  to 
get  away  from  the  mob.  The  cops  stopped  me,  and  did  not 
catch  hold  of  me  until  I  had  got  down  and  the  other  cop  had 
hit  me,  and  one  of  them  caught  hold  of  me  to  make  me  stand 
up.  I  did  not  even  try  to  run  away  after  I  had  been  hit.  I  was 
afraid  to  run,  because  I  knew  if  I  did  they  would  hit  me  again. 

Harry  Reed. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  22nd  day  of  August,  1900. 

John  C.  Barr,  Notary  Public,  Kings  County.  Certificate 
filed  in  K  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.: 

My  name  is  Jesse  Payne.  I  reside  at  255  West  93rd  Street. 
I  work  there  as  a  waiter  in  a  boarding  house.  On  the  evening 
of  August  loth  I  was  sent  down  to  accompany  a  small  boy,  by 
the  name  of  Allan  Atkins,  to  his  home,  223  "West  18th  Street. 
He  took  an  8th  Avenue  car  at  93rd  Street,  and  I  rode  alongside 
the  car  until  I  got  to  59th  Street.  I  told  him  I  would  ride  on, 
and  I  rode  about  a  block  in  front  of  the  car.  We  went  down 
this  way  until  we  approached  34th  Street.  Around  the  corner 
of  34th  Street  and  8th  Avenue  I  saw  a  crowd  standing.  It 
stretched  all  over  the  street  and  sidewalk.  I  thought  that  some 
one  was  hurt,  and  that  was  the  reason  the  crowd  had  collected, 
but  when  I  got  into  the  crowd  they  did  not  seem  to  be  standing 
around  no  one,  and  I  did  not  know  what  was  the  matter 
until  I  passed  34th  Street,  and  was  about  half  way  to 
33rd  Street.  I  was  still  on  the  west  side  of  the  car  track 
riding  on  the  wheel,  and  about  half  a  block  in  front  of 
the  car  in  which  the  boy  was,  and  about  half  a  block  behind  an- 
other car,  tr}'ing  to  follow  the  pathway  it  made  in  the  street. 
When  I  got  to  the  middle  of  the  block  a  policeman  ran  out  from 
the  sidewalk  from  the  west  and  raised  his  club  and  hit  me 
across  the  mouth,  saying,  "Wliat  the  hell  are  you  riding  here 
for?"  This  blow  split  my  lip  and  broke  off  two  of  my  front 
teeth;  it  also  knocked  me  off  the  wheel,  but  I  scrambled  up  and 
ran  between  the  east  side  of  8th  Avenue,  dragging  my  wheel 
with  me,  and  away  from  the  policeman.  The  policeman  fol- 
lowed right  upon  me,  clubbing  me,  and  the  whole  crowd  was 
after  me.  I  tried  to  get  into  a  store,  and  they  shoved  me  back, 
and  they  would  not  let  me  in.  While  I  was  going  from  where 
I  was  knocked  off  my  wheel  to  the  east  side  of  the  street  a  po- 
liceman who  struck  me  kept  on  clubbing  me.  The  first  blow  he 
gave  me  knocked  me  kind  of  foolish,  but  I  hung  on  to  my  wheel. 
When  I  got  to  the  curb  I  fell,  because  I  missed  the  step.  After  I 
got  up  another  policeman  came  up  to  me  and  said,  "What  the 
hell  are  you  doing  here  with  that  wheel?"  I  says,  "I  ain't  done 
nothing  to  anybody,  just  going  on  a  message  to  take  a  boy 
home;"  and  he  grabbed  the  Avheel  and  hit  me  over  the  hand  with 
his  club.  That  made  me  let  go  the  wheel.  It  was  taken  away 
from  me  and  I  have  not  seen  it  since.  Then  I  ran  away  about 
four  doors  from  8th  Avenue,  and  a  third  officer  told  me  to  stop 
and  sit  down,  "If  you  don't  they  will  kill  you;"  and  he  stood 
there  and  protected  me  until  he  sent  another  officer  for  a  patrol 
wagon  and  took  me  to  the  station  house,  and  I  was  there  until 


four  O'clock  in  the  morning.  I  have  been  employed  by  Mrs. 
McFarland,  at  255  AVest  93rd  Street  for  about  three  months; 
before  that  with  Annie  Sterler,  of  44  West  35th  Street — this  is 
a  boarding  house,  and  I  was  a  waiter  there  for  two  years;  with 
Mrs.  Gilhes,  of  18  West  9th  Street,  two  and  a  half  years.  I 
know  Rev.  Mr.  Franklin,  of  Zion  Church,  corner  10th  and 
Bleeeker  Streets. 

his 
Jesse  x  Payxe. 
mark 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  22nd  day  of  August,  1900. 
Samuel  L.  Wolff,  Notary  Public  (77),  X.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  York,  ss.  : 

My  name  is  John  B.  Mallory.  I  reside  at  206  West  62nd 
Street.  While  coming  home  from  the  engineers'  lectures  my 
friend  Gordon  Jones  and  myself  came  up  to  7th  Avenue  through 
29th  Street  where  the  colored  Engineers'  Hall  is.  We  turned 
into  39th  Street  and  went  west  towards  8th  Avenue.  We  saw 
a  crowd  of  white  men  and  boys  coming  around  the  corner 
towards  us.  Before  the  gang  reached  us  a  policeman  said  to  my 
friend  and  myself,  "Get  out  of  here,''  and  began  clubbing  me 
and  my  friend;  he  struck  my  friend  first,  and  my  friend  ran 
towards  Broadway.  Then  after  being  struck  four  or  five  times, 
and  as  soon  as  I  could,  I  ran  up  on  a  stoop.  The  policeman  did 
not  have  a  hold  of  me,  but  began  striking  me,  and  kept  up  with 
me.  When  I  got  on  top  of  the  stoop  he  ran  after  me,  and  caught 
hold  of  me  and  shoved  me  down.  He  said  again,  "Get  out  of 
here."  It  made  me  fall  down  the  stairs,  and  I  was  on  my  hands 
and  knees  on  the  walk.  Then  the  policeman  left  me  at  the 
mercy  of  the  mob,  and  he  went  across  the  street  where  he  was 
at  first.  The  mob  began  punching  me,  hitting  me  with  sticks, 
kicking  and  hitting  me  with  their  fists,  and  split  my  lip  open, 
cut  my  nose,  and  bruised  my  forehead.  Then  I  got  up  and  put 
my  hands  on  my  face  and  head,  and  stood  up  against  the  rail- 
ing by  the  stoop  of  the  house  where  I  was  shoved  down.  Then 
another  policeman  came  to  me  and  said  to  me,  "Have  you  sense 
enough  to  go  homo?"  I  said  "Yes."  I  got  on  an  8th  Avenue 
car,  in  which  he  got  on,  and  began  going  uptown  about  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet,  when  another  policeman  came  up  and  got  on 
the  car  from  the  left-hand  side,  and  shoved  me  out  towards  the 
right-hand  side,  where  the  mob  was.  He  said,  "Get  out  of  here." 


77 

As  I  was  pushed  off  a  man  at  the  side  struck  at  me,  but  I  dodged 
him  and  jumped  on  the  car  again.  The  car  was  moving  when 
the  policeman  shoved  me  off  of  it.  The  policeman  who  protect- 
ed me  made  the  motorman  stop  the  car  for  me  to  get  on,  and  I 
got  on  the  front  of  the  car  again.  The  policeman  who  protected 
me  said  to  the  policeman  who  shoved  me  off,  "Get  off,  and 
let  him  alone.^^  He  got  off  then.  The  policeman  who  protected 
me  stood  on  the  car  until  I  got  up  one  block  out  of  the  mob, 
and  then  he  got  off.  I  rode  on  this  8th  Avenue  car  up  to 
59th  Street,  and  I  stood  between  two  men.  One  of  them  of- 
fered me  his  handkerchief  to  wipe  the  blood  off  my  face,  and 
when  I  got  to  59th  Street  they  advised  me  to  go  to  Eoosevelt 
Hospital,  and  I  asked  one  of  them  to  get  a  transfer  for  me. 
He  did  this,  and  I  went  to  Eoosevelt  Hospital,  where  I  had  three 
stitches  put  in  my  lip.  I  am  still  going  to  the  hospital,  and  am 
under  treatment;  my  back  and  both  shoulders  are  injured,  and 

I  am  generally  bruised  all  over.  I  have  no  bad  habits.  I  do 
not  smoke  or  drink,  and  I  am  a  student  at  the  International 
Correspondence  School,  Scranton,  Pa.  I  have  been  through 
the  public  schools,  and  I  am  studying  to  be  a  mechanical  en- 
gineer. I  also  attend  lectures  at  the  Colored  Engineers'  Asso- 
ciation, on  29th  Street  between  6th  and  7th  Avenues.  I  know 
Mrs.  S.  E.  Lodewick,  of  800  Lexington  Avenue;  C.  W.  PhiUips, 

II  Broadway;  L.  P.  Sawyer,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Aitken,  Mrs.  Mary 
Baker,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Clark,  and  Mrs.  A.  Arnold,  all  of  153  Madison 
Avenue.  I  have  known  these  people  for  about  eight  years,  and 
they  can  all  testify  to  my  good  character. 

JoHX  B.  Mallory. 
Sworn  to  before  me  this  22nd  day  of  August,  1900. 
Samuel  L.  Wolff,  Xotary  Public  (77),  N.  Y.  County. 


City  and  County  of  New  Yorl%  ss. : 

Nicholas  J.  Sherman,  being  duly  sworn,  deposes  and  says: 
My  name  is  Nicholas  J.  Sherman.  I  reside  at  No.  134  West 
33rd  Street,  Borough  of  Manhattan,  City  of  New  York.  On  the 
15th  day  of  August  I  was  visiting  some  friends  at  37th  Street 
near  7th  Avenue,  in  a  boarding  house.  As  the  clock  struck  ten 
I  left  the  house.  I  walked  east  toward  7th  Avenue.  At  the 
comer  of  37th  Street  and  7th  Avenue  I  saw  several  policemen 
chasing  a  person  eastward.  I  do  not  know  whether  the  per- 
son was  colored  or  not.  I  am  a  messenger  and  mailing  clerk 
on  the  New  York  Herald,  and  I  naturally  was  interested,  as  I 


78 

thought  it  was  a  news  item,  and  I  walked  across  the  street. 
When  I  got  within  six  feet  of  the  sidewalk,  near  the  drug  store, 
on  the  corner  of  37th  Street  and  7th  Avenue, a  policeman  stopped 
me,  and  asked  me,  "Where  in  hell  do  you  live?"  I  told  him  in 
33rd  Street,  and  then  he  said,  "G —  d —  you,  go  home!"  and  he 
hit  me  with  his  club  on  the  left  arm.  There  were  about  a  dozen 
policemen  standing  around  there,  and  two  or  three  within 
reach.  One  of  these  struck  me  across  the  right  shoulder,  and 
when  I  turned  to  run  the  same  policeman,  I  think,  who  struck 
me  on  the  left  arm  again  struck  me  across  the  small  of  my  back 
with  his  club.  Then  I  Umped  from  there  towards  the  saloon 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  37th  Street  and  7th  Avenue,  where 
a  policeman  was  leaning  against  a  lamppost.  As  I  limped  past 
him  he  struck  me  with  his  club  .on  the  right  arm.  I  was  then 
unable  to  get  away  from  him  on  account  of  my  injury,  but  I 
managed  to  get  across  the  street  and  stood  in  front  of  the 
saloon  on  the  southeast  corner,  and  a  man  came  out  and  asked 
me  to  go  in.  I  went  in  and  leaned  against  a  barrel,  and  he 
told  the  bartender  that  the  police  had  just  beaten  me.  As  soon 
as  I  was  able  to  walk  I  started  for  the  New  York  Herald  ofl&ce 
to  tell  the  man  whom  I  am  employed  under.  I  sat  in  the  chair 
at  the  Herald  office  all  night,  because  there  was  a  great  crowd 
around  the  street  and  I  was  afraid  to  go  home.  I  left  there 
the  next  morning  about  six  o'clock,  went  to  my  room  and 
changed  my  clothing,  and  started  for  my  breakfast.  Then  I 
went  to  the  office  and  worked  all  day,  until  about  six  o'clock 
that  evening.  Then  I  went  to  my  room,  and  was  so  lame  I 
could  not  get  out  again  until  the  following  Tuesday  morning, 
five  days  after,  not  even  being  able,  in  the  meantime,  to  sit  in 
a  chair.  I  still  feel  the  effects  of  the  clubbing.  The  blow  on  the 
small  of  my  back  made  my  left  limb  almost  paralyzed. 

Nicholas  J.  Sherman. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  24th  day  of  iVugust,  1900. 

Herbert  Parsons,  Notary  Public,  N.  Y.  County. 

Mr.  Sherman  states  in  addition  that  his  chief  in  the  news- 
paper office  directed  him  to  report  the  matter  to  the  police  au- 
thorities, and  that  he  spoke  to  Chief  Devery,  who  said  to  him 
substantially,  "A  wq^to  killed  a  policeman  up  there,  and  they 
can't  be  controlled." 


Cify  and  County  of  New  York,  ss. :  * 

My  name  is  W.  H.  Cooper.  I  reside  at  340  West  41st  Street. 
On  the  morning  of  August  15th,  about- half  past  nine,  I  went 
from  the  house  to  the  post  office  station  at  the  southwest  cor- 
ner of  41st  Street  and  8th  Avenue.  When  I  reached  that  cor- 
ner I  saw  a  group  of  white  men  and  boys  standing  at  the 
corner.  When  I  passed  this  group  at  this  corner  I  overheard 
one  of  them  saying,  "We  are  going  to  get  back  at  the  niggers 
to-night."  One  of  the  others  said,  "Is  that  true?  Is  there  go- 
ing to  be  a  riot  to-night?'^  and  the  reply  was  "Yes."  When  I 
heard  this  I  went  around  the  corner.  There  was  a  bicycle 
pump  there.  I  went  behind  the  bicycle  pump  like  I  was  look- 
ing in  the  window.  I  could  overhear  everything  that  was  said. 
One  of  the  fellows  said,  "Have  they  buried  Thorpe,  yet?"  "No, 
we  expect  to  bury  Thorpe  to-day;"  and  he  says,  "We  expect 
to  have  a  hot  time  to-day  when  the  funeral  starts."  It  was 
rumored  around  that  he  was  to  be  buried  on  the  day  of  the 
riot,  but  he  was  not  buried,  however,  until  the  next  day.  One  ot 
the  fellows  said,  "Have  they  got  the  nigger  Harris,  yet?"  "Yes," 
he  said,  "they  caught  him  down  at  Washington,  and  if  we  can 
get  our  hands  on  him  we  will  tar  and  feather  the  bastard;"  and 
I  went  into  the  drug  store  and  came  out  again  after  mailing  my 
letter.  When  I  came  out  I  stood  on  the  corner  and  filled  my 
pipe,  and  I  overheard  them  say,  "Have  they  got  the  woman  yet?" 
and  they  said,  "Yes,  she  is  locked  up;"  and  the  other  fellow 
said,  "Well,  that  is  all  to-night."  I  did  not  move  on  until  one 
of  the  fellows  said,  "There  is  a  coon  standing  there  now;  you 
had  better  hush."  Then  I  went  down  home  and  told  the  boys 
at  the  shop  about  it. 

W.  H.  Cooper. 

Sworn  to  before  me  this  22nd  day  of  August,  1900. 

JoHX  C.  Bare,  ISTotary  Public,  Kings  Countv.  Certificate 
filed  in  X.  Y.  County. 


i£x  ICtbrts 


SEYMOUR   DURST 


't '  Tort  nte^iw    ^ItTt/ferdam,  o^  Je  Mtr/Jjatarui 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  heen  said 
"Sver  thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

E:xcept  a  loaned  hook." 


AVHKY  AlUlllTI-CrURAL  AND  FlNT.  ARTS  LlliRARY 
(ill  I  ()i  Si  YMot'K  R.  DuKsi  Oi  I)  York  I.irr ary 


THE  CITIZENS'  PROTECTIVE  LEAGUE 
was  organized  In  St.  Mark's  Church,  West  53d 
Street  and  Eighth  Avenue,  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, September  3,  1900.  The  object  of  the  League 
is,  first,  to  afford  mutual  protection  ;  and,  secondly, 
to  prosecute  the  guilty.  The  League  now  numbers 
about  5,000,  with  daily  increase. 

The  following  officers  were  elected : 

OFFICERS. 

Rev.  W   H.  BROOKS.  D.D.,  -        President. 

T.  S.  P.  MILLER.  M.D.,        -  Vice  President. 

Rev.  H.  P.  IVOLLER,   -        -  -        Secretary. 

JAMES  E.  GARNER,      -        -  -   Treasurer. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

T.  T.  FORTUNE,  Chairman,  L.  H.  LATIMER, 

W.  R.  DAVIS,  Secretary,  Rev.   R.  D.  WYN 

C.  A.  DORSEY,  J.  F.  THOMAS, 
Rev.  P.  B.  TOMPKINS,  N.  B.  DODSON, 
Rev.  J.  W.  SCOTT,  Rev.  G.  HUNT, 

D.  M.  WEBSTER,  Rev.  L.  L.  CUYLER, 
Rev.  C.  T.  WALKER,  D.D..  Rev.  H.  C.  BISHOP, 
Rev.  W.  L.  HUBBARD^  Rev.  W.  D.  COOK,  D.^ 
Rev.  GEO.  W.  BAILEY  MELVIN  J.  CHISUM. 


